What You Never Saw Coming
by Mrs.JohnReese
Summary: Have you ever wondered where you would be, years from now? What your life would be like? Have you ever tried to answer your own questions regarding the future? I have...but let me tell you, if you told me that I would be standing beside a man from the Revolutionary War, about to face off against the most dangerous force of vampires known to the world, I'd call you crazy. GarrettXOC
1. Intro: Fate has a sense of humor

**Hey there!**

**So I've been toying around with doing a little story like this for a while now, but I never really got up the writing mojo to create anything too specific until now. Basically, what I'm going for here is an initial intro in the "heat of the moment", as it were; and then I'll go back to the beginning of the events leading up to this moment and write from there. **

**Hopefully none of you are too bothered by the fact that my OC is related to a canon character…I am obviously well aware that Bella Swan did not have any siblings, but this is just how the idea came out in my mind. And I know the man I pair her with is with another in the books (won't give away the name…you'll just have to read to find out! Lol) but again…this is how it's all coming out in my mind. I hope you can bear with me and that you like what you find here!**

**As I say with all of my stories, please feel free to let me know what you think of this little intro (if I continue on, it WILL get into longer chapters, I promise). Honesty is always welcome, whether it be good or bad!**

**And now, an end to my rambling! Thank you all so very much for taking the time out of your lives to read this and give it a shot! I hope you find it worth your while!**

**~MJR~**

…**.**

Six years ago, if you had asked me where I saw myself…where I thought I would be…I would have been likely to say in college. Maybe with a boyfriend. Definitely a few close friends…family. I would tell you that I would be studying my ass off to become a lawyer, or a doctor…I would be living in Arizona with my mom, my sister, and my stepdad. Probably still working at the diner down the road from our new house, where everyone liked to gather on Friday nights to watch whatever sporting event happened to be on at the time. After all, you have to make ends meet somehow, right?

I would tell you all of these things…and I would be happy that this was my life. An occasionally mundane, sometimes chaotic, _human _life would have been all it took to make me deliriously happy. The rush of the big city, easy enough to ignore at our ranch home out in the desert; coupled with the always scattered method that my mother had of organizing our life suited me just fine. Way better than what we used to have back in Washington, anyway.

I could remember spending summers there in my late elementary school days, through junior high; and being bored out of my mind. Wasting every ounce of the break from school just…sitting…was enough to drive you insane. Constant rain storms made doing anything other than plopping down on the couch in front of the television almost impossible. And even with a father who was more than happy to entertain his young daughters…

I was bored.

But now? Now that I was back in the same town I had been born in…the same town that had been my worst nightmare as a teenager…I couldn't help but feel like _this_ was where I had been meant to be all along. For all of its mundane redundancy, Forks was everything to me now. Everything that I never could have dreamed of wanting. Until now.

Blinking as I felt a cool hand squeezing my own, I forced myself back to the present; the alarm that my thoughts had taken mere seconds to flit through, despite how I felt they should have taken longer washing over me as I regained my focus on what I should have been thinking about all along. My family. No, not the one that I had originally dreamed of…but the one that now mattered more to me than anything else in the world.

Squaring my shoulders, I met the determined gaze of my sister as she stood a few steps ahead; using my hand to absently return the squeeze that had been intended as a calming gesture as my eyes turned to look up at the one who had changed everything without ever meaning to. Astonishment still overtook me at how I had found the very thing I never believed in just a few short months prior to this moment…after all, I had always been one to believe that we made our own path. That nature had no possible way of setting things out for us. But the man standing next to me; his pose more strained than mine, if that were even possible, constantly served to prove me wrong. I had never been one for believing in 'fate' or 'soul mates.' But now, as I stood beside my mate…yes, _my _mate…with the rest of my family spread out around me; and the center of my world standing, with my sister, just in front of me…I knew differently.

I knew fate had a plan. That I was now destined to live this life, just as much as any of the others gathered around me; despite my initial hesitation. Despite my initial doubts. And looking ahead, at the seemingly insurmountable force that was approaching us I knew…

I knew I would sooner be dead than let anyone, or anything take this from me. Not when every fiber in my being was screaming at me to guard what was mine.

Shifting slightly in an attempt to get closer to the one we all most desired to protect, I let out a faint growl as I felt Garrett's hand tighten once again around my own; pulling me back. The warning look in his eyes told me exactly how he felt about me being here to begin with; especially after being so newly…'created', for lack of a better word. But hell would freeze over before I stayed secluded while my family was potentially destroyed.

Newborn or not…I would protect what was mine.

….

**Alrighty, so there's our little preview! Feel free to let me know if you'd like more, and thank you so very much for taking the time to read this!**


	2. Collision

Bright morning sunlight poured into my bedroom through the slits in the blinds; streaming over my bed and landing on my face, causing me to groan and tug the covers back over my head. I had been unable to sleep for most of the night, anxiety weighing heavy on my mind as I allowed thoughts of what was about to happen today to take over. Today, my sister was getting married. And while that fact alone may not have been enough to make someone nervous, once you added in _who_ she would be marrying…well you could say that the nervousness skyrocketed.

It wasn't that I didn't like Edward. I trusted him with my sister's safety to the utmost degree. He and his family had taken me in, just as they had Bella; and the two of us had, in all honesty, never been happier, or safer. But that didn't stop me from feeling a faint pang of regret and sadness over the fact that my sister would no longer be sleeping in the bedroom down the hall from my own. That she would no longer feel compelled to come to me for late night talks. That she would soon become immortal; while I remained human.

That if she was changed while they were gone on her honeymoon…today may very well be the last day I saw her for quite some time.

As I remained, curled in a ball underneath the bed-sheets, I tried my best to shove aside the sadness at losing my best friend…my confidante, of eighteen years. She would be happy with Edward. I knew that without a doubt. But that didn't stop my hesitation over giving her up…over watching her become ageless, while I withered before her eyes. We had talked about this, countless times before today; of course. About how during the first few months…maybe even years…of her change, it wouldn't be safe for her to be around me. About how I really had no desire to become immortal; the pain Carlisle had described to me that came as a part of becoming a vampire still causing tremors to wrack through me just from thinking about it.

No, I would remain mortal. I would grow old, just like the rest of the humans on the earth. That had to be better than enduring the fire spreading through my veins once bitten, right?

A knock at my door startled me out of my reverie, and I let out one last, drawn out moan at being forced out of my bed; before padding across the bare wooden floors to pull the door open. I had to bite back a laugh at the absolutely horrified look on Alice's face then, as she stared at my disheveled and quite obviously unprepared appearance for a minute; before flitting into the room and darting over to the closet where my dress was in hiding.

"I told you…_both_ of you…that you needed sleep" She grumbled, rummaging through the assorted clothes until she reached what she was looking for. As she pulled the light purple gown out of its hiding place and turned to face me; I caught the hint of her rolling her eyes before she pressed on "You two are so much alike, it's impossible."

"Well we _are_ related" I quipped, offering my soon-to-be sister a grin as I took the filmy fabric from her outstretched arms.

"And your disregard for the rules of fashion proves that" She joked, placing a hand on my shoulder as she made to leave the room "Get cleaned up, put this on and meet us in Bella's room for your hair."

Nodding my agreement, I slipped into the bathroom; taking a moment to glance at my reflection in the mirror, before quickly doing a one-eighty, and turning on the faucet to allow the water to warm up. I carefully placed my dress over top of the sink, far away from any running water source before I dropped my pajamas to the floor and climbed into the warm spray with a sigh. Allowing the water to soak my body thoroughly; I did my best to force my thoughts of the future away, instead choosing to focus on the present.

After all, how often was it that your sister got married to a vampire?

…

Leaning my head back and shutting my eyes, I allowed myself to relax for a moment as Rosalie wound my dark hair into an intricate braid that parted off to the side, and curved over my left shoulder. The sound of Alice's humming, coupled with the feel of Rose's capable fingers weaving through my hair served as a sort of balm for my frayed nerves; and I couldn't help but smile as I heard my sister's foot tapping anxiously on the ground. Clearly she hadn't been as easily calmed as I had been.

"Relax, Bells" I said, sliding my foot over until I felt it nudge hers gently "You're going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say" She replied, her voice shaking just a bit and belying her worry "You're not the one about to trip and fall on her face in front of God and everybody."

"True" I acknowledged, feeling a small hint of a smile tug at the corner of my mouth as I finished "But let's face it, I'm probably going to be close enough to you that when you trip; it'll turn into a domino effect, and I'll go down too."

"Neither one of you is going to trip" Alice interrupted, her voice firm despite the smile I could hear in her tone "Now take a look at your hair and tell us what you think."

As if on cue, Bella and I opened our eyes at the same time; our gazes fixing on each other first, before simultaneously turning to the mirror before us. Bringing up a hand to pat at my braid tentatively, I felt a smile coming to my lips as I turned to face my sister. For all of the protests I had put on at being forced to allow Alice and Rose to have their way with my hair; I was rather impressed with the results…and I could tell that Bella was likewise impressed with her own appearance, as I caught her turning to face me.

"You look great" She whispered, a fleeting smile passing over her face before she cast her eyes downward towards her lap. Getting up from my chair and taking a few steps in her direction, I crouched down as best I could while trying to avoid wrinkling my dress; placing both my hands on the arms of her chair as I said:

"Bella, look at me. You've been waiting for this…for Edward…for a long time now. And this may sound odd, coming from me; but…but I think that you two are…are _meant_ to be together. You've endured so much, and come out stronger for it, in the end. And that has to mean something."

Her brown eyes flicked to mine in seconds, the uncertainty clearly mirrored in them as she bit her lower lip before replying.

"You…you're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure" I said, reaching over to squeeze her hand as I tried to fight back against a tear threatening to break loose "Now let's go get you married, okay? Before Dad changes his mind and decides not to give you up after all."

Relief flooded through me as I saw the look of trepidation in my sister's eyes turn into a look of determination; and I took her hand eagerly as she rose from her seat, helping Alice adjust the skirt of her dress before leading her towards the hallway, and out to our father's waiting car.

Today, for better or worse, my sister was about to meet her fate. And I would be with her, every step of the way; if I could.

…

After the ceremony, I found myself an almost constant resident on the dance floor; my aversion to making a show of myself somehow going unnoticed as I was passed from my new brother in law, to Jasper, and finally to Emmett as the music blared on. Despite my embarrassment over my quite obvious lack of technique, I found that I was actually enjoying this…another breathless laugh escaping my lips as Emmett dipped me down towards the floor once again as he attempted to teach me the finer arts of swing dancing.

"Don't you think…_ow_…Rose would be a better partner for you, with this type of thing?" I asked, my only answer from him coming in the form of being whirled around in a circle as I yelped in surprise; before he set me back down and took a step back.

"Rose seems to be occupied with the other guests at the moment" He replied, stepping closer to drag me back into the dance as he went on "Besides, how else am I supposed to embarrass my little sister?"

"I thought you would you know…reserve the embarrassing behavior for Bella" I grumbled half-heartedly; a smile escaping as I heard Emmett's next words.

"You're a part of this family too, Elena" He said, stopping once again in favor of pulling me into a bear hug "And that gives me all the right in the world to harass you."

"Good to know" I quipped, ducking out of his embrace to avoid having him muss my hair as Carlisle and Esme approached. Smiling at the doctor, I leaned forward to give Esme a hug; pulling back just as the blond vampire spoke.

"Elena, have you seen your sister?"

Looking around briefly, I bit my lower lip as I turned back to face Carlisle; a frown forming as I replied in the negative.

"No, actually I haven't. Last I saw her, she was with Jacob."

The doctor's brow furrowed for a moment, but in an instant, his face was once again calm and collected; barely a hint of concern in his voice as he turned to address Emmett.

"Perhaps you should go check on them?"

Before Emmett could reply, however, I stepped forward; ignoring his restraining hand as I said:

"I can go. I wouldn't mind saying hello to Jake anyway."

A brief nod of assent from Carlisle was all I needed to begin making my way towards the edge of the woods where I had seen my sister and our old friend disappear; only turning around part way as I heard Esme call out.

"Be careful, Elena."

I could hear the concern in her voice; worry that Jake's…sensitivity…regarding my sister's marriage might make him volatile and dangerous evident in her tone. But I knew better. I knew that he would never hurt myself, or my sister; no matter what. So I offered the woman who had become like a second mother to me a reassuring smile; before turning my attention to the forest path at my feet, and heading off to see what was taking my sister so long. As I picked through the fallen twigs and leaves, careful not to allow them to snag my dress; I found myself traveling ever deeper into the woods at the back of the Cullen home, never once expecting to run into anything other than my sister and Jake. Never once thinking that something else was in these woods…something far more important than I could ever have known.

The sound of raised voices nearby soon had me altering my course; following the sounds of Jake's apparent shock as I wound deeper amongst the trees. Before I could reach my intended goal, however; I found myself colliding, hard, with a cool object that sent me tumbling to the forest floor. Shaking my head and silently chastising myself for focusing my attention on the ground instead of on the path ahead, I let out a huff as I turned my eyes upward; my heart all but stopping in my chest as I took in the sight before me.

The man I had collided with was beautiful, feral, and dangerous all at once; the dark hair that hung around his face accentuating the now familiar paleness that I had come to associate with my new family. He was tall, I realized then…even from my position on the ground, I could tell that he would easily tower over me when standing…and I caught his eyes widening for the briefest of moments; his entire body freezing as he realized that the thing he had just collided with was a human. His abrupt attempt at chivalry by offering a hand to help me up went unnoticed, however; as I registered one key difference between _this_ vampire, and the ones that I had come to love. His eyes were not the familiar, warm honey-gold that I was so accustomed to.

_His eyes…were red._

…

**Well there you have it! As promised, a longer second chapter! I'd really love to hear your thoughts on how this is going so far…and although I try to avoid begging for reviews, I'm going to have to succumb. Please review? What did you like? What needs improvement? I'm open for anything!**

**Likewise, if anyone has any ideas on what should happen next, feel free to share!**

**Thank you all once again for taking the time to read this! Hope it meets up with your expectations!**

**~MJR~**


	3. Like a Moth to Flame

Blinking up at the man before me, I tried unsuccessfully to hide my panic as several things clicked into place in my mind. For one thing, red eyes meant only one thing. _This_ vampire obtained sustenance from humans. For another, he was still resolutely holding his hand out to me in an attempt to help me up from my position on the forest floor…but the look in his eyes made it increasingly difficult for me to determine if he were doing so out of kindness; or as a method for drawing me to him so I could not escape.

And three…with as quietly as he had appeared in front of me, I had reason enough to suspect that no one else would have taken notice of his presence in the forest. Which meant I was, irrevocably, and completely…alone.

In short, avoiding panic…wasn't going to happen.

As carefully as I could manage, given the situation, I began to slowly scoot myself backwards away from him; freezing on the spot as he knelt down so that he was only slightly higher above ground than I was. I could practically hear my heart hammering out its erratic pattern of beats as I sat there, motionless; my teeth immediately beginning to worry my lower lip as I saw him reach his hand out towards me yet again.

"Relax, little one" He said then, his voice alone sending a shiver rolling down my spine…whether from fear or intrigue, I couldn't tell "I won't hurt you."

Somehow managing to arch an eyebrow, I made to open my mouth…only to close it again as no sound came out. I couldn't even move when I noticed his hand reaching forward to envelop mine in a cool grip; my heart all but jumping into my throat as I felt him gently tug at my arm to pull me to my feet. I stumbled slightly as I attempted to adjust to not only being pulled upright, but also to the strange feeling of…connection…I felt with my hand in his own…and I found myself letting a tiny exhalation of breath escape as I watched him turn my hand so that the palm faced up towards him; his free hand coming up to trail fingertips lightly against the underside of my wrist.

The simple touch of his fingers against my skin caused me to tense; every cell in my body torn between leaning into that touch, and running for the hills. In an effort to avoid the conflicting sensations this stranger was causing; I made to back away from him, lifting my hand slightly to free it from his grasp without causing undue alarm. Instead of releasing me, however, a small rumble issued from his throat; his hand tightening slightly around my wrist as he pulled me in towards him, his other hand moving up of its own accord to cup my cheek.

Before I could stop it, a small whimper tore itself from my throat, and I caught what looked to be a flicker of concern crossing the stranger's eyes; before the hand that was currently grazing against my cheek dropped down to rest at the junction of my neck and shoulders. Swallowing hard, I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard him raise his voice to speak yet again; his voice taking on an almost soothing quality as he spoke.

"What is your name, little one?"

Shaking my head minutely, I fought to control my breathing; every nerve in my body aware of exactly how close he was…aware of exactly how little it would take to make a wrong move and end all of this now. For all of his gentleness thus far, I still couldn't shake the nagging fear in the back of my mind that he was only doing what he was made to do…namely, luring in his prey until they had no chance of escaping him. After all, hadn't Edward warned my sister against the very same thing when they had first met? What indication did I have that this situation would be any different? Especially given my captor's…apparent preference in meal sources.

Lost in my thoughts as I was, I never noticed the rush of sound that accompanied a low growl coming from somewhere to my left; and I found myself jumping in shock as I was yanked away from the stranger and thrust behind a solid, cool frame. Blinking once against the sudden feeling of being torn away from something I didn't want to leave; I forced my thoughts back to the present, relief and dread coiling in the pit of my stomach as I recognized the back of Edward's tux. The hard growl was still emanating from him as he blocked me as best he could; and I saw the stranger's red eyes narrowing as he tensed slightly, both hands held out before him even though he too had crouched down as though preparing to attack.

I barely had time to realize that I couldn't see Bella anywhere in the nearby vicinity; before I felt a warm arm circle around my waist from behind; dragging me backwards as Edward turned to look in my direction for a fraction of a second.

"Get her out of here."

The order was low…strained…and I found myself swallowing once again; not entirely sure why I was resisting the arm that was trying to get me out of what could only end poorly, as I planted my feet in the ground and shook my head.

"C'mon, Elena" I heard Jacob say from behind me, his arm tightening around my waist as he began to attempt pulling me backwards once again. Against my better judgment, I held my ground, though; moving my hands down to shove at his arm as I tried to shake him off. Despite all of my fear over this encounter…despite how frightening the stranger was to me…something in me refused to leave his side; especially given the hostility I could feel rolling off of my brother-in-law, and Jacob too, for that matter. I certainly couldn't explain what was making me remain rooted to the spot; when I knew that the smart thing to do would be to run. But I knew somehow, that I couldn't leave. Not now.

My eyes met the stranger's for a fraction of a second then, my blood all but freezing in my veins when I saw them darken as Jacob's grip on me tightened. Furrowing my eyebrows, I turned my head back so that I could look at my closest friend; doing my best to ignore the fierce look of determination in his brown eyes as I spoke up for the first time since I had met the red-eyed stranger.

"Jake…Jake, let go of me" My voice came out in a whisper, cracking a little in the middle of the sentence and belying my uncertainty. It was all I could do not to let out a hysterical laugh at the look of incredulity he gave me as what I was requesting sank in…but I held my ground as I saw him shaking his head; something instinctual telling me that if I didn't get him to let me go, all hell would break loose.

"Jake…_please_" I begged, my attention soon garnered by movement out of the corner of my eye. The stranger had apparently tried to get around Edward by shifting slightly to the left…a fact that had not gone unnoticed; as evidenced by Edward's own swift movement to block me from view once again as he hissed:

"_Jacob!_"

My entire body tensed as I felt Jake begin tugging at my waist again; apprehension rolling through me as the newcomer spoke, his voice tight, like he was only holding onto control by a thread.

"I think the lady asked you to let her go" He said, his eyes fixed on Jacob, despite Edward's presence in front of us. He flicked his gaze down to meet mine for a moment, then; and I tried my best to hide the panic I was feeling to avoid adding to the tension…an attempt that quickly became futile as I heard Jake reply.

"Right, so that you can what; make her your next meal? Not likely."

Resisting the urge to elbow Jacob in the gut for his risky comment; I opened my mouth to make an attempt at diffusing the situation, only to fall silent as I heard Carlisle's voice coming towards us from the direction of the wedding party.

"You're late, Garrett" He said, offering a welcoming smile at the red-eyed vampire as he stepped into the small clearing; ignoring both Edward and Jacob's look of utter revulsion as he reached out a hand to shake that of his apparent friend "But I see you've managed to make an entrance; like usual."

"What can I say?" Garrett replied, his eyes still locked on my own "Old habits die hard."

Carlisle spared me a glance then, sending me a reassuring smile before returning his attention to his old friend as he said "Walk with me?"

A hesitant look crossed Garrett's face as Carlisle's hand came to rest on his arm; but he opted to follow after the blond vampire after only a moment's pause, leaving Edward, Jacob, and myself in silence in the clearing behind them as they traveled deeper into the forest. Letting out the breath I hadn't even been aware that I was holding; I rolled my shoulders experimentally to ease the tension that was so prominent in my body as Edward turned to face me.

"Let's get you back to the party" He said, his voice still strained as he reached a hand out to place on my shoulder "Bella's probably worried sick."

Offering him a slight nod, I fell into step beside him; my gaze locked on the forest floor ahead of me as I allowed my mind to wander. What on earth had just happened? What was the reason for Garrett's arrival? How did Carlisle know him? Why was he so interested in me? And why on earth did I feel this strange…pull…to be near him, even now? What could possibly explain the fierce urge I felt to turn around and go back into the forest to find him; when he had just scared me half to death?

"Heads up, El" Jake said then, giving me a small nudge as we broke free of the trees on the edge of the Cullen's property. Looking up from my daze just in time, I barely had time to register Bella flying towards me; her arms circling around my neck as we collided. I let out a strained laugh as I returned her embrace; hearing matching sounds from Jake and Edward behind me as we finally pulled apart.

"What was that all about?" She asked me, concern evident in her eyes as she took a step backwards just as Edward moved forward to loop an arm around her waist "And who was that?"

"I…I'm not sure" I replied, shifting slightly on my feet and taking note of the way Edward's jaw clenched as he stared into the forest with a dark expression. Ignoring him as best I could, despite my curiosity over what exactly had caused his apparent irritation; I fell into step beside Bella as we began walking back toward the other guests before I went on "But he's apparently an old friend of Carlisle's."

"Some friend" Jake cut in, a low laugh escaping him as he went on "If you consider someone who tries to eat your new daughter in law a friend."

"_Jake_" I groaned, this time not hesitating to elbow him in the stomach before turning to see Bella staring at me; her eyes wide with shock "He didn't try to eat me, per se; Bells."

"Came close" Jacob muttered under his breath, dodging out of the way as I made to swat at him; all thought of further discussion soon dying down as Phil approached us, with Mom in tow. Doing my best to relax so that neither one of them would pick up on any of the events that had just occurred; I offered them both the closest thing to a smile I could muster, breathing a sigh of relief as Mom spoke.

"Bella, honey, we should get you ready to go" She said, looping an arm around her newlywed daughter's neck to pull her into a hug; before releasing her and turning to do the same to Edward "Wouldn't want to miss the flight to your own honeymoon."

My sister's eyes flew wide then, flicking over to me as she found herself being ushered in towards the house by Alice; who had just appeared at her side, and was currently bouncing on the balls of her feet in her excitement. Throwing a fleeting smile Jake's way, I made to follow her; hurrying to catch up as Alice wasted no time in persuading our mother to stay outside with the rest of the guests.

"El and I can take it from here, Renee" She was saying; the look she gave me suggesting she was aware of something I was not "Go be with Phil. We'll make sure Bella says goodbye before she leaves."

As if on cue, Edward began escorting her back to the crowd, and I offered her a small wave; before letting out a small yelp of surprise as I felt myself being tugged towards the house after Alice, an almost conspiratorial grin on her features as she pushed both my sister and myself up the stairs to finish packing. By the time we had ascended the stairs, I took note of how Bella's expression had gone from forced calm to panic; and I found myself biting back shock as she turned to me and said:

"Listen, El…Edward and I don't have to go if you'd feel more comfortable with…"

"Stop" I interrupted her; reaching out to grab her hand and squeeze gently as I realized where she was going with this. She was talking calling off the moment she had dreamed of for the past years…cancelling it because a minor problem had thrown itself in our paths. But despite how I almost found myself almost _wanting_ her to stay behind; if nothing else than to have someone to help sift through whatever my encounter with Garrett meant…I knew that I couldn't deny her the one thing she had dreamt of for so long. Shaking my head and ignoring how her mouth had opened to protest, I cut her off before she could begin.

"You're going" I finished, my voice firm, regardless of how nervous I felt on the inside "I'll be fine."

"She will be" Alice chimed in, zipping the duffel Bella would be taking with her on the plane and walking over to join us by the closet "More than fine."

The look in her eyes must have given Bella the encouragement she needed…because after a few moments of quiet contemplation; she was heaving a sigh and leaning down to reach for the duffel bag, both of us jumping in surprise as we heard Edward speak from the doorway.

"Elena if you need anything…"

"She'll call, and you'll be on the first flight back" Alice supplied; rolling her eyes at Edward's exasperated expression before herding Bella towards the door, while I trailed close behind. Fighting not to let my confusion and apprehension take over; I made my way out to bid my sister farewell, completely unaware that the hug she gave me before allowing Edward to guide her to the car would be the final embrace we would share before our entire world was turned upside down.

This…this was only the beginning.

….

**Greetings, my lovelies! Here we have it! Another chapter! I'm sorry for the brief delay…school is once again trying to eat me. But school or no school, I will try to update as much as I can!**

**But on to the chapter! What did you think? Like it? Hate it?**

**Please let me know in a review! Thank you all for reading, and I'll see ya next time!**

**~MJR~**


	4. She Needs Time

**Hello again! Wow. I wanted to take the time to sincerely thank each and every one of you who has followed/favorited/reviewed my story! Seeing the explosion of notifications in my inbox every day definitely brightens my outlook on getting through classes and work; so I really do thank all of you for that! I wanted to also take this moment to thank "Guest" for their lovely review as well! Normally I try to individually respond to each review in thanks; but since I couldn't do that for you I figured I'd do it in an A/N (grin). So glad you are liking my story! **

**But on to this new chapter! I intended to do a switch to Garrett's POV just to get a feel for what he was thinking; in addition to setting up the stage for a concept I wanted to introduce, despite the fact that Elena won't know about it until a bit later. Hope I did him justice; and do let me know if you are alright with the idea I've set forth here. If not I do have a back-up plan!**

**Thanks again for reading!**

**~MJR~**

…

When Carlisle invited me to see his youngest 'son' get married; I expected to be thrown in the way of temptation on more than one occasion. I knew the doctor and self-proclaimed vegan had several human acquaintances that would, without a doubt be in attendance…but for his sake I had agreed to come. I figured so long as I hunted immediately prior to my arrival; things would be fine.

After all, who didn't love a challenge? I certainly had never backed down from the opportunity to test myself in some new way; no matter how odd or unique the situation may be. But despite all of that, nothing could have prepared me for the particular challenge I would face in the present. And when I say challenge…I'm not kidding. I hadn't even made it to where the main crowd was gathered at this little shindig; when I was stopped in my tracks by a human.

I feel it should be noted that, ordinarily, this wouldn't really phase me. I would either take the offered meal opportunity; or walk by and ignore the whole thing. But this time…this time was different. Putting aside the absolutely horrific amount of restraint that I had to rely on to avoid answering the call of this small creature's scent; I found myself completely frozen as I looked at the tiny human I had inadvertently knocked to the ground…an act that really didn't help matters, as everything that had once been so certain about my solitary life screeched to a grinding halt.

The young woman before me was beautiful. Any other word to describe her would have been…inappropriate. _Inadequate. _I could tell that her hair had been coaxed into some sort of intricate braid; but strands were falling out, and framing her face…a face that took my breath away. As additional torment to me, the faint purple color of her dress seemed to highlight the paleness of her skin…almost making her glow in the faint moonlight streaming through into the clearing in which we stood. Of course I was no stranger to beauty…in my countless years of existence I had happened across more than my fair share of pretty women that took my breath away. But something about _this _particular woman was different. Alluring. Like nothing I had ever experienced before. And I had experienced a lot.

Shaking myself begrudgingly back to the present, I crouched down slowly to avoid alarming her; a jolt of concern hitting me hard as I realized she was slowly trying to scoot backwards. Well go figure…I had scared her. I wasn't surprised. But what I couldn't figure out was why that bothered me. It wasn't as though I had never frightened anyone before. Hell, some might say that was a part of my job description. Something I took pride in. But for me, the sight of the human girl slowly edging away from me was anything but something to be proud of. I couldn't explain why I felt this urge to pull her to me and make her know that everything would be alright…that I would never let anyone or anything hurt her…but to avoid frightening her even more by my silence; I opened my mouth to speak, holding out my hand to her as I said:

"Relax, little one. I won't hurt you."

A small shiver wracked her frame as the words left my mouth; and I was made all too aware of her rapidly beating heart as she attempted to speak, her lips parting slightly as she looked up at me with fear in her hazel eyes. Those eyes. They would be the end of me; I could feel it. And strangely enough, that intrigued me more than it scared me.

Bringing myself back to the present moment; I leaned forward to grab her hand, allowing myself to get lost in the warmth of her skin as I gently tugged her to her feet. I could feel her trembling underneath my fingertips as I trailed them across the underside of her wrist; and I was aware of something akin to regret striking me as I noticed her beginning to attempt pulling away from me…something I knew I couldn't allow to happen. Before I could stop it, a low rumble escaped from somewhere deep in my chest; and I silently cursed myself as I saw her tense all over again as my grip tightened instinctively on her wrist. I couldn't help but wonder why I had this strange desire to hold onto this woman and never let her go…and a part of me knew that I had better figure it out quickly; before she came to the wrong conclusion. The whimper she let out as I trailed my free hand against the curve of her cheek gave ample evidence of exactly what she suspected would happen here…and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to prove to her that I would not…_could_ not hurt her; even if I tried.

Dropping my hand down so that it caressed her neck, and trying my best to ignore the way in which her pulse beat against my hand; I felt my jaw clench in frustration as her eyes squeezed shut. Scrambling to find a way in which I could put her at ease, I loosened my grip on her wrist as I said:

"What is your name, little one?"

I saw her shake her head minutely, the gesture hesitant and tremulous; as though she feared that any sudden movements would trigger her demise. Realistically, had she been anyone else…it probably would have. But that mysterious force that had drawn me to her now absolutely forbade me to even contemplate harming her; despite the fact that the smell of her blood scorched my throat like a hot iron poker. The scent was temptation in and of itself…but in spite of that, I could not force myself to leave her side. Being around me would be dangerous for her; that much I knew just from how she was affecting me now. But now that I had seen her, I also knew that I would let no other stand at her side. She was _mine_.

As if on cue from my thoughts, the very thing I could not allow occurred right before my eyes; jolting me from my daze, and ripping a growl from my throat as a golden-eyed vampire yanked the girl away from me and thrust her behind him. He bore no resemblance to Carlisle, and yet he smelled distinctly of my old friend…which could only mean one thing. He was yet another Cullen. Which meant, realistically…I should try to avoid harming him if at all possible.

Crouching down a bit as a snarl tore itself from my opponent's throat; I lifted both hands up in a gesture of good-will, all the while keeping my eyes trained upon the woman who had so recently crashed into my world. I could see the fear still, evident in her eyes as she shifted uncomfortably behind the well-dressed vampire that had thought to save her…but my attempt at giving her an encouraging glance went haywire as a dark-skinned young man appeared behind her and looped his arm around her waist. He smelled distinctly of wet dog…and I flinched internally as I felt a strange sensation burning through my body at the thought of his hands on the girl.

Anger. Why _anger_, of all things? I was not quick to fight unless utterly and truly provoked…so why now? Why was I nearly shaking with the desire to get a girl I barely even knew away from people that were only trying to protect her? I couldn't figure it out; and I spent a moment or two trying to decide whether to turn and walk away; or to fight…until she spoke.

"Jake…Jake, let go of me" She said, her voice cracking in obvious fear as her eyes flicked from his face, to mine. My gaze held hers for a fraction of a second as I watched her struggle to free herself; and it was then that it hit me.

The old legends were true. The legends that said each of our kind would be destined to find solace in the arms of one mate…their lifemate…they were all true. The myths that I had once scoffed at were thrown at my feet now; and it all made sense. My instant connection to this girl…my attraction to her beauty; and the unusually strong call of her blood. The fierce, burning desire to make sure no other man touched her. And the sound of her voice sending fire racing through me; until I could no longer think straight.

It was abundantly clear now, what was happening here. And that served as enough of a kick to spur me into action; a warning growl leaving my lips as I made the attempt to dodge to the side of the man shielding her from me. The golden-eyed vampire hissed out a warning to his compatriot who smelled like dog…but then his eyes met mine; widening in shock for a moment before he crouched down even further, a feral glare in his eyes as yet another growl tore from his throat.

Blinking in surprise, I realized that this must have been the son who had just been married…the one who could read minds. Carlisle had told me much about this…_Edward_…in his latest communication to me. And I knew now, why he had reacted so violently towards my interaction with the human he was now protecting. He must have read her fear…read my every thought as I pieced together the puzzle that had just presented itself to me. And he was not pleased.

"I believe the lady asked you to let her go" I said then, more as an attempt to give myself something to do other than contemplate how to get the woman fate had intended for me out of there in the most efficient way possible. It was obvious to me that she cared about both of these men, despite her anxiety; and although every fiber of my being was crying at me to eliminate them entirely for daring to touch her…I somehow knew that to do so would be to cause her great pain.

"Right, so you can what; make her your next meal? Not likely" The dark-skinned male inquired, hostility lacing his tone and causing my entire body to tense as he continued his attempts at dragging the woman…my _mate_…away from me. Fighting to maintain control even though every instinct that I never knew I possessed was awakening from dormancy now; I did my best to restrain myself from tearing the impulsive dog to pieces as I registered a familiar voice calling to me from the distance.

"You're late Garrett" Carlisle admonished, entering the clearing with a warm smile and casting a cursory glance around at its inhabitants before continuing "But I see you've managed to make an entrance; like usual."

"What can I say?" I asked, trying my best to hide the tension in my voice as I fixed my gaze on the wide hazel eyes that still seemed so timid…so afraid "Old habits die hard."

My old friend chuckled at my comment; and I felt the beginnings of a smile twitching at the corner of my mouth as I tried to tamp down the urge to reprimand him for the warm gaze he leveled at my mate before returning his attention to me. He was already mated…I knew that. But that didn't stop me from feeling just a small hint of jealousy as I recognized how she instantly seemed to relax at the gesture. She was comfortable with these vampires…and I honestly had no way of knowing if she would ever be like that with me.

"Walk with me?" My old friend asked then, bringing me, once again, back to the present with a jolt as he held out his hand to guide me away from my new reason for existing. I hesitated even though I could tell that he wanted to discuss what had just happened; not eager to leave this frail human who had so changed my life in a split second at the mercy of the two men who had just tried to take her from me. Noting the look of certainty in my old friend's gaze, though; I offered him a nod, ignoring the intent glare Edward was sending my way as I followed the coven's leader into the forest. We moved in silence for a few minutes as we wound through the trees at the back of Carlisle's property; but that silence was soon broken as he spoke up, stopping in mid-step to turn and face me.

"Are you sure?"

I didn't even have to ask what his question meant as I watched him level me with a searching gaze. It was obvious from his expression that the young girl's safety meant a great deal to him…and I once again found myself warring with doubt over my ability to be good for her as I replied:

"Yes. Without a doubt."

A low sigh escaped my friend then, his eyes closing for the briefest of moments before he opened them again; lifting an arm to gesture for me to continue walking with him as he spoke yet again.

"Nothing like this has happened for…"

"Centuries" I interrupted, finishing his sentence for him and sending him a brief smile before clarifying "Until Edward; apparently."

"I'm not entirely sure that Edward's case is the same as yours; Garrett" Carlisle argued; his voice low as he brought a hand up to shove through his hair "Edward's connection with Bella was…not as rapidly evident as yours has been."

"What's her name?"

Throwing me a smile at the all too eager question, Carlisle sidestepped a fallen tree branch as he replied "Elena Swan. She's Bella's sister."

"Elena…" I spoke her name under my breath; the corner of my mouth twitching up into a half-smile as I felt a fleeting sensation of warmth in my chest. The name was perfect. And I couldn't help but feel a small sliver of hope for my chances with her; knowing now that her own sister was now married to one of my kind. Granted I did not lead the same type of life as the Cullens did…but it had to improve my odds at getting her to become at least comfortable with my presence if Bella was already involved in this way of life.

"Garrett, she is going to need time to sort through all of this; if and when you tell her" Carlisle spoke up then, shattering my internal monologue as he turned us towards the path that would lead deeper into the forest towards the small stream within "She's comfortable enough with my family; but to find out that she belongs to you, when she barely knows you…"

"_If_ I tell her?" I interjected; raising an eyebrow at my old friend as I followed him in between the trees "How can I not?" It seemed preposterous, what he was suggesting. Not telling her seemed…out of place. Wrong. And despite how much I trusted Carlisle, I was not about to heed him in this.

"Think about it, my friend" He answered, clapping me on the shoulder before going on "She has no reasonable way of explaining the encounter that just occurred between the two of you. She's probably scared…confused. The last thing she needs right now, is to hear that she is meant to be the mate of a man she barely knows."

"But her sister is…" I began, trailing off in chagrin as I took note of Carlisle's knowing smile before he replied:

"Bella had much more time to adjust to the idea of being with a vampire. And I think that you'll find Elena to be a bit more…_cautious_…than her sister."

Pursing my lips, I thought over what Carlisle had just said…over how, if I really admitted it to myself, I had seen with my own eyes the kind of cautious trepidation Elena had exhibited during our brief interaction. The fear had been more than evident in her eyes…and I found myself slowly forced to agree with the viewpoint of my old friend; shaking my head in silent disbelief as I spoke up.

"So what do I do?"

Glancing at me in earnest as the two of us stepped out on the bank of the stream, both of us pausing for a moment to listen to its contented gurgling; Carlisle looked out at the shoreline across from us, once again grasping my shoulder as he answered.

"You give her time to adjust. To get to know you. Let her come to you."

Nodding as I acknowledged the sense behind his words; I turned my own gaze out to the land before me, allowing my thoughts to once again become lost in this newest development. I would do my best to give Elena time; just as Carlisle had asked. But, as I was sure my old friend knew…

Patience had never really been my strong suit.

…

**Thoughts? Comments? Please leave 'em in a review! If anyone has any ideas about how Elena should find out about what Garrett discovered here, feel free to let me know! Love you guys!**


	5. Racing Hearts and Baseball

**Good afternoon everyone! **

**Here it is! The next update in Elena's tale! I switched back to her POV here…but I could do another one from Garrett's if you all would be interested! Just let me know! Also, if there is anything you desperately want to see in the next chapter, feel free to tell me in a review or a PM!**

**Thank you so very much for all of the love and support this story has received! I appreciate all of the input and support!**

**~MJR~**

…

Sleep. You would think, after the day I had experienced; it would come easy. That I would have passed out seconds after crawling into bed; content to finally be back in comfortable clothes. Content to be normal again. Except that tonight, everything was _not_ normal. Not in the slightest.

Rolling over so that I was on my side, I angled my arm back so that I could rest my head on my elbow; the fingers of my free hand drumming on the bed sheets beside me. My entire body was exhausted. I could feel it in my bones…in my muscles. It was like a dull ache had taken up residence all over my body…and yet, my mind was running at ninety miles a minute. Whatever part of my thoughts that had been taken up by worry over my sister's eventual immortality were now gone. But they had been replaced by images of a tall, scruffy vampire whose presence made me both exceedingly nervous, and yet extraordinarily intrigued.

What on earth was wrong with me?

Shifting so that I could prop my head up on my right hand; I fiddled absently with the corner of the pillow case that Alice had used to tie in with the sheets on the guest bed, trying desperately to figure out why I could not force my mind to calm down. It wasn't like me to end up so obsessed over a single encounter; no matter the outcome. So why was I curled up in bed; _fixated_ on what had just transpired? He was just one of Carlisle's friends. Someone who was just passing through; likely to wish my second father congratulations on the marriage of his son. He meant nothing to me, right?

Or at least, he _shouldn't_ have.

But then, why did I feel so drawn to him? Why was I so curious to learn more about him? What was it that had me feeling like I was almost compelled to be with him; even now, when I barely knew him?

Shoving my free hand through my hair, I squeezed my eyes shut as I flopped over onto my back; a small groan escaping me as I threw back the sheets and padded over to the window overlooking the Cullens' backyard. Forcing the window open, I allowed the cool evening breeze to waft around the room; enjoying the small amount of comfort it afforded me before my hand closed around my cd player, and I headed back to bed. I sat cross-legged on top of the comforter while I coerced the flimsy ear-buds into each ear; flicking through the tracks on the cd until I reached the one that I wanted.

_Clair de Lune. _My favorite song…and Bella's as well. The one we both fell back on when we needed to clear our heads…or just relax. Letting out a sigh, I reclined on the bed once again; closing my eyes as the soft notes hit my ears. Ordinarily they would have allowed me to ignore whatever had been gnawing at my mind; giving me peace from my thoughts, and allowing me to drift into sleep…but not this time. Despite the music, I still managed to find my thoughts inexplicably drawn to the stranger I had just met. To his slightly unkempt hair, that I had to admit made me desire nothing more than to brush it out of his face. To his eyes…terrifying, and yet strangely gentle at the same time. And that voice…a shiver of anticipation shot through me at the prospect of hearing the rich, silky baritone again; and I quickly yanked the headphones out of my ears, bolting out of bed once again and heading over to the door.

_I had to get out of here._

Making sure to shut the door to the guest room behind me as quietly as possible, despite the knowledge that anyone within the house would hear it anyway; I crept down the stairs, winding through the surprisingly empty living room before ducking into the spare room the Cullens used as a holding place for various outdoor gear to grab my shoes. I had to figure out a way to calm my mind. A way to perhaps tire myself enough so that sleep could win out over my racing thoughts. And a brief jog seemed like the perfect way to do just that.

Peeking around the corner of the hallway that would lead to the front door, and satisfying myself that it was empty; I made the trek towards the outside world as cautiously as I could, only letting out the smallest of whimpers as I felt my pinky toe colliding with the bench beside the door. Before I could progress any further, however; I heard Carlisle speak up from the doorway that lead back into the main part of the house, a smile in his voice as he said:

"Going somewhere, Elena?"

Cringing slightly, I turned around to face him; my cheeks immediately flushing as I realized the very person I was trying to erase from my thoughts stood behind him. Ducking my head down so that I was focusing more on the intricate patterns of veins in the wooden floor at my feet; I shifted slightly as I replied:

"Just…" I paused, clearing my throat in an attempt to make my voice sound more substantial than a squeak before trying again "Just going out for…for a run."

"In the dark?"

My eyes flicked up of their own accord then; locking with the red eyes of my new…acquaintance…as I took an involuntary step backwards before replying:

"I…I've done it before…"

Garrett's eyes widened as he looked at me for a moment, before they turned to meet Carlisle's in a silent inquiry. Clearly the thought of me venturing out alone at night was troubling to him…and I saw Carlisle give him a reassuring nod before he turned to address me once more.

"Perhaps it's best if you don't tonight; Elena" He began, holding up his hand to stall my protests as he explained "It's quite late; and some of our…guests…may be in mid-hunt as we speak."

Frowning a bit, I darted my tongue out to wet my lips as I shifted in place; all too aware of the watchful eyes that were observing me as I gave a half-hearted shrug of assent, before moving to step around the two vampires and head back into the spare room to get rid of my shoes. Before I could pass them, however; Carlisle's hand had snaked out to grab my wrist, and I found myself looking up into concerned golden eyes as he asked:

"Is everything alright; Elena?"

Flitting my gaze over to Garrett's for a brief moment, I drew my teeth over my lower lip as I turned my attention back to Carlisle; putting on my best effort at a smile before I replied:

"Sure. I just…I just wanted to clear my head for a bit; that's all" I began, faltering as I noticed something akin to guilt sweep across Garrett's face. Fighting the inexplicable impulse to reach out and reassure him that I was fine, I amended "I'm just…worried for Bella."

I felt Carlisle's hand squeeze my wrist in concern; and I noted the way that Garrett's eyes darkened just a bit as he watched Carlisle respond to my anxiety.

"She'll be fine, Elena" He began, smiling warmly at me and completely ignoring the way his old friend had inched closer to us as he reached his hand up to brush it affectionately across my cheek "Get some sleep. Alice will have my head if you're too tired to go shopping with her tomorrow."

"Shopping?" I asked, my voice unintentionally raising an octave as I cringed internally.

"That _is_ the excuse she gave Charlie for having you stay over an extra night" Carlisle supplied, his eyes crinkling as he smirked at my stricken expression. He knew as well as anyone that I was not a fan of shopping with Alice…not necessarily out of any inherent dislike in spending time with her…but more so out of dread for the excursion somehow always turning into me honing my mannequin skills. I really wasn't fond of being dressed up like a doll…but I also recognized that any attempt at evading the outing would fall on deaf ears.

Sending Carlisle a faint smile, I shifted to move past him; meeting Garrett's eyes one last time before darting around him and heading towards the stairs, intent on getting into the guest bedroom as quickly as possible. Being around the man I couldn't explain my reaction to was certainly not doing me any favors in terms of slowing my mind down…and as I shut the door quietly behind me; I found myself once again back at square one.

Tossing my shoes in the corner, I dragged my computer out of the duffel bag at the foot of the bed; flipping on the switch as I crawled back into bed. I needed _something_ to distract me from travelling down a path that I didn't fully understand once again…and above all, I knew that this…

This was about to be a _very_ long night.

….

For all of my initial hesitation over shopping with my new sister-in-law the night before, I was surprised to find myself almost…eager…to participate in the day's events once Alice and I had actually left the house. Whether it was because she had somehow persuaded Jasper to come along as well so that he could clear my mind of anything even remotely worrisome; or because I just welcomed any form of distraction I could find by this point, by the end of the little excursion my spirits had improved significantly. Of course, I had been laden with more clothes than I could ever possibly wear in one lifetime, as was usual…but I couldn't even find it in me to chide Alice for that fact; content to lean my head back in the car on the way back to the Cullens' home and hum along absently to the music blaring from the radio instead.

My quiet relaxation was broken in an instant, however; by the sound of Alice's voice as she spoke to Jasper in the backseat.

"I thought you were calming her" She said, her voice holding a small hint of concern as she flicked her gaze back to that of her fiancé before going on "Her heart is _racing_."

Arching an eyebrow at her as I turned my head to the side, I bit my lip to keep from laughing as Jasper spoke up; sharing a conspiratorial glance with me before he said:

"You know when you left us to go stop the gentleman stealing the shoes?"

"Yes…" Alice answered, suspicion dawning in her eyes as she looked from the road, to Jasper, to me, and finally back to the road.

"I may have let her buy an espresso…" Jasper confessed, a smile toying with his lips as Alice shot him a look that was as close to a glare as was possible for her; the look on her face forcing me to duck my head down as I shook with silent laughter. For her part, Alice returned her gaze to the road in silence; but I could see her eyes shining with her own laughter as she tried to remain stern and unyielding…an act that quickly crumbled when a loud clap of thunder echoed around us as we pulled into the long drive of her home.

"Perfect" She whispered, more to herself than to Jasper and I as she navigated the car across the winding pavement; before raising her voice and asking me "How would you feel about a game of baseball?"

Casting an excited look her way, I nodded my head in agreement; sitting up a bit in the seat as we finally pulled up to the house, and trying my best to keep a rein on my eagerness as I stepped out of the car and stretched the stiffness out of my muscles. It had been _ages_ since I had seen a game of baseball…or at least, baseball as it was played by the Cullens…and I was more than a little anxious to see it all play out once again; my spirits only falling a little bit as Alice walked around the car and thrust one of the bags containing my new wardrobe into my hands as she said:

"I think I know just the outfit for you."

….

Around thirty minutes later, Alice and I were finally traipsing down the stairs; a faint flush on my cheeks at the amount of effort she had gone to, just to get the both of us ready for a simple game of baseball. I wasn't entirely sure that the makeup and styled ponytail were necessary…but when Alice had something in her mind; I knew there was no arguing with her. That knowledge, combined with my residual caffeine buzz made me a bit less resistant to her efforts than usual; and I found myself almost tempted to play up my 'new look' by adding an uncharacteristic sway to my hips as I walked…that is, until we finally reached the end of the stairs and I saw Carlisle's bright smile.

"I think I found a replacement for Edward" He said, curling his arm around Esme's waist as he gestured towards Garrett. I could almost hear my heart stutter in my chest as I found my attention once again drawn to the newcomer; the faint smile on his lips as he looked me over sending fire slamming through my veins as I shifted under his gaze. Before I could get too lost in my nerves, however; I found myself swept up into a pair of arms like oak trees, a squeal of surprise escaping as I heard Emmett speak.

"You calling the shots this time, sis?" He asked; spinning me around before setting me back on the ground and letting out a bark of laughter as I stumbled a bit.

"Assuming you don't break me before we even get to the field, yes" I quipped; smiling at his affronted look before falling into step beside Rosalie as we began moving outdoors "And remember, I know your moves now. So I'll know if you're cheating."

"Keep calling me a cheater; and I may be tempted to let any nomads that come along eat you" He retorted; ruffling my hair from behind and ignoring the glare from Alice that ensued as I let out a snort of laughter.

"Sure you will" I replied; looking up at Rosalie as I felt her arm snake around my shoulder "But you'll be the one who has to explain exactly what happened to Bella…and my dad."

Grinning as Emmett's smile faltered for a moment; I let out another laugh, only to stop in my tracks as I registered Garrett's presence on my other side.

"Nomads?"

His voice was soft…low…laced with concern, just like his eyes. Eyes that held a promise. A promise of protection. Watching him as he waited for my reply, and doing my best not to get lost in his intent gaze; I was almost unable to fight the urge to lean into him as I swallowed before answering his question.

"It was…we ended up being…fine…" I replied; trailing off as I sensed, rather than saw his hand extending towards me, jumping a bit as I felt his fingertips trail against the bare skin of my arm. Once again, I found myself all but consumed with the overwhelming urge to let him pull me close…but Rosalie's arm on my shoulder kept me rooted to rational thought, albeit by a thin thread; and I couldn't help but feel a faint sense of relief as Alice stepped back to join us as she said:

"They won't be a problem this time. Trust me."

After her reassurance, we all began moving towards the fields once again; everyone returning to their own private conversations as we wound through the trees. For her part, Alice was doing her best to engage Garrett in conversation about anything other than what had caused him so much concern; but despite that, he remained resolutely by my side as we reached our journey's end, our eyes meeting every so often as he continued listening to Alice speak. I thought I could see his hand flexing a few times as he walked beside me…almost as though he wished to reach out and grab my own…but I quickly forced that thought from my mind as we entered the field; instead turning my attention to Carlisle as he began dividing everyone up into teams. Rosalie, Jasper, and Garrett would be batting first…which left Esme to remain with me while Alice, Emmett, and Carlisle went out into the field. Smiling faintly as I felt Esme nudge my shoulder, I allowed myself to plop to the ground beside her as we prepared to watch the game unfold; my former excitement returning to me as Alice threw the first pitch.

Play ball?

….

Around half an hour later, I found myself sitting in the same place on the ground; my knees drawn up to my chest in an effort to keep warm. The field was getting darker as the night closed in…but despite the cold that was leaving goose-bumps on my exposed arms; I couldn't deny that I felt perfectly comfortable watching the game unfold. Both teams were neck and neck by this point; but I was less concerned with the actual score than I was with the newest player.

Garrett was a natural. That much was obvious from the very first round of the game. In fact…and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at the reaction I knew would likely come from Edward as a result of my thoughts…he was probably better than my very adept brother-in-law. Something which definitely served to pique my interest, as I found my eyes almost constantly drawn to his actions throughout the entirety of the game thus far. What Edward had in speed, Garrett made up for in sheer…grace…and it was as though I couldn't stop myself from tracking his every move; in spite of the fact that I had been caught daydreaming several times when I was supposed to be paying attention.

"C'mon, El" Emmett called out, jolting my attention once again back to the game as he waved his arms at me from out in the field "Make your call."

Biting my lower lip, I glanced to my left; noting Esme's encouraging smile as she whispered "He's out."

Nodding my thanks, I turned my attention back to the field; ignoring the flush that insisted upon rising to my cheeks at Emmett's self-assured grin as I called:

"Sorry, Emmett. You're out."

"Not fair, El" He called, making a face at me as he began walking towards where I stood with Esme "You weren't even paying attention."

"I…I was" I protested weakly, shivering as I stood from my spot on the ground; a cool breeze hitting me instantly and causing me to freeze in mid-movement. I barely had time to notice Esme shrugging off her jacket before I found my knees buckling a bit under the weight of something heavy…something warm. But it wasn't Esme's coat that was around my shoulders.

It was Garrett's.

Blinking up at him, I did my best to hide my shock…hadn't he just been half-way across the field seconds ago? I forced aside my trepidation though, in favor of slipping my arms through the sleeves; only to find that my hands didn't even reach the end of them. Holding up one arm and letting the sleeve dangle down towards the ground; I turned my gaze up to meet Garrett's then, ignoring the obnoxious little jump my heart did as I said:

"Are you sure that…"

My words froze in my throat as I watched him nod at me; a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth as he reached up a hand to brush a stray tendril of hair behind my ears. The simple touch had me shaking in spite of myself; and I found myself extraordinarily grateful for Esme's calming hands on my shoulders as she came up behind me, squeezing gently as she held me steady. It was just a simple gesture, him giving me his coat…wasn't it? So why did I feel like I could pass out from the way he was looking at me?

"Come on, Elena" Esme said then, rubbing her hands up and down my arms in an effort to jump-start my body temperature returning to normal "We should probably get you inside."

"N-no, I'm fine" I protested, a little too soon as I saw Esme's raised eyebrow before I turned back to face Garrett; noticing how concerned he appeared before he stepped back away from me.

"No, you're not; you're freezing" He said, his voice soft as he tugged the collar of his coat over a bit so that it covered more of my neck "Go inside."

I bit my lower lip as I continued looking at him, a strange sense of calm stealing over me as I felt Esme tugging gently at my arm to get me to follow her. Reluctantly, I followed her; once again forcing myself to ignore the piercing stab of regret I felt at leaving his side…instead focusing on maintaining my footing on the path we walked along, and enjoying the weight of my second mother's hand in my own. It wasn't long before we reached the house, and I followed her inside; the hem of Garrett's coat idly swishing around my ankles as I moved. I only just caught Esme's tiny smile as she watched me dart over to the couch and plop down; unconsciously drawing the coat around me as I crossed my legs and stretched my arm out to the table to grab the remote.

"Any preference on a show?" I asked her, scooting over so that she could sit beside me as she replied:

"You pick. I trust your judgment."

Flicking through the channels, I finally settled on an old crime drama re-run; smiling at Esme as she curled her arm around my shoulder so that I could lean into her. Stifling a yawn, I snuggled into Garrett's coat, my eyebrows arching a bit as I breathed in a distinctly…woodsy…scent. Firewood…gun powder…and pine. Somehow the scent was comforting…and I found myself hardly able to keep my eyes open as warmth enveloped me; contrasting perfectly with the cool weight of Esme's arm against my shoulders. Allowing myself to relax bit by bit, I rested my head on Esme's shoulder, wrapping my arms around myself as I snuggled in.

Seconds later it seemed, I was asleep.

…..

**So thoughts? I'd love to hear 'em! And thank you all so very much for reading! *Hugs and kisses***


	6. Feeling the Pull

_(Garrett's POV)_

"We won, fair and square, Emmett" I said, laughing at the dark glower Carlisle's more competitive son was sending me; dodging the punch that was meant for my shoulder as we walked back towards my old friend's home. Emmett had been grumbling the entire way back about how we _cheated_. How we stole the win right out from under his nose. But I was far too preoccupied with thoughts of Elena in _my_ coat to really care. That is, until her name was brought up as Emmett lit into me once again.

"You know, if Elena was paying more attention; things might have been different" He complained; his glower darkening even further in spite of the teasing tone to his voice as he took in my lopsided smirk "Your little girlfriend was only focused on _you_."

"Was she?" I asked, feigning ignorance of how I had felt her eyes on me the entire time. Thinking too much on that occurrence was bound to render me completely distracted for the rest of the evening…so I tried my best to deliberately ignore Emmett's low chuckle before he said:

"So you're not denying she's your girlfriend."

"Emmett" Carlisle interjected, placing a firm hand on his son's shoulder as he came up between the two of us "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tease my guests."

"Pssh, like he's just a _guest_" Emmett retorted, nudging Carlisle in the side as the older vampire gave him a resigned smile "We all know what's going to happen here."

Shaking my head at his continued teasing, I ducked to avoid walking headlong into a tree branch before replying:

"Only if she wants it to."

I couldn't help the slight hint of resignation in my voice as I spoke the words…but I had to acknowledge the truth. The fact that if Elena did not wish to be bound to this life…to _me_…then I could not force her. I would not. Of course I hoped beyond all shadow of a doubt that she wouldn't feel that way. But the fact remained that I was different from the kind of vampire she was used to. And I knew that, on some level at least…I scared her. A lot. Attempting to shove back the bitter stab of regret that thoughts such as these forced to the surface; I took note of Alice approaching from my other side as she said:

"She will want it. Don't worry."

My eyes widened as I looked down at her while we continued walking out of the forest; the lights in the large den of the house blinking into view beyond the tree line as I replied:

"You can't know that."

"Actually; she can" Jasper cut in; joining Alice at my side as we approached the back door leading into the den. Sounds of gunfire echoed out into the backyard from the television…and I had to suppress a laugh at how much it amused me that a woman as tiny and seemingly innocent as my mate would like something as atypical as a crime drama as we entered through the sliding door one by one; Esme's bright smile greeting us as the door shut behind Rosalie. I met her eyes momentarily as I stepped further into the room; barely managing a nod of recognition before I found my attention riveted on the woman beside her.

Elena was sleeping…and my God, if she wasn't the picture of beauty. But the thing that really froze me on the spot was the fact that she was curled up with her head against Esme's leg…asleep…in _my_ coat. She was practically drowning in it; with the shoulders puffed out around her and the sleeves hiding her tiny hands from view. One part of the collar had fallen over her cheek, serving as a companion to the strand of her dark hair that was strewn across her brow; and it was all I could do not to reach out and pull her into my arms as I watched Esme gently run her hand in little circles on her back. I couldn't fight the tiny surge of male pride that flowed through me as I took in the fact that she was comfortable in something I had given her…and my arm darted out of its own accord as I registered Emmett moving to rouse her; a flash of warning in my eyes as I watched him stop in mid-motion.

"Woah, easy killer" He said; his hands going up in front of his body as a shield even as he smirked at me "I'm just going to wake her up."

"Let her rest, Emmett" Esme said, her eyes flicking from me to her son as she gently squeezed Elena's shoulder "We should probably try to get her up to her room soon, though. Without waking her; if possible."

"I'll do it" I said, instinct guiding me before logic could tell me that this might not be the wisest of ideas. The tiny whimper that issued from her lips as she stretched slightly before burrowing even deeper into my coat was almost enough to make my mind short-circuit; but I walked around to the other side of the couch anyway, a low gasp escaping me as Elena curled into my chest automatically as I carefully scooped her up. She was so small…so _delicate_…as though one wrong move could shatter her entirely; and I found myself all but holding my breath as I began carrying her towards the stairs, being careful not to jar her body as I moved.

I soon became lost in how I could feel the beating of her heart as I held her against me; and I barely registered reaching the top of the stairs as I pulled her closer, leaning down to inhale her scent even though I knew it would be painful. Holding her like this…even though she wasn't aware…somehow felt right. _Perfect_. Even with the way the call of her blood was affecting me, making it so that I could almost…_almost_…give in to the desire to taste her; I was still mesmerized by her. By her timid nature…by the way her tiny body fit so perfectly in my arms. I almost didn't want to relinquish my hold on her to place her gently in her bed…but logic got the better of me; somehow knowing that if I were to remain with her tonight, she would be more frightened than ever. Not to mention, I suspected that Carlisle would have a few opinions on the matter; given what we had just discussed not two full days ago.

No, I would bide my time as he had suggested. I would try to resist this little minx's power over me as much as I could…though if she kept burrowing into my coat like she was doing now; that resistance may not be so easy. Not when every cell in my body was all but demanding that I stay by her side.

Shaking myself back into the present, I swiped a stubborn strand of hair out of Elena's eyes as she slept; allowing my hand to linger on her face for a moment before pulling myself away and heading out of the room. Ignoring the faint sensation of loss I felt at leaving her upstairs; I made my way out to the den again, taking a seat on the edge of the armchair by the television as I tried to think of something…_anything_…other than Elena. If Alice's thoughts were true, then I really had nothing to worry about. But if they weren't…

I had literally no idea what I would do.

…

_(Elena's POV)_

Wrinkling my nose as my eyes fluttered open, I heard my stomach let out an angry rumble as the scent of toast and eggs reached my nose. Smiling to myself over how quickly my body had begun to clamor for sustenance, I made to get up; only to find that I was virtually cocooned in a very large…_coat_?

Blinking a few times, I slowly shifted so that I could sit up; peering down at my body and feeling a wave of something akin to pleasure waft over me as memories from the previous evening came flooding back into my mind. I had been watching a baseball game…or rather, I had been watching one particular _player_…daylight had slowly turned into starlight. And I had been cold. Cold enough, apparently, to warrant a practical stranger giving me his coat before Esme could take me inside.

And now, here I was. Sleeping in it.

Shoving a hand through my sleep-tangled hair, I moved to swing my legs over the edge of the bed; a low laugh escaping as I realized how dwarfed I was by the coat. I had to exert a decent amount of effort at climbing out of bed without getting tangled up in the hem at the bottom; and I stumbled a bit as I attempted to stand up straight, before padding over to the mirror and taking in my unkempt appearance.

About half of my hair was still in the ponytail Alice had crafted yesterday; the other half either draping down my back, or over my shoulder. But perhaps even more amusing than that, was the fact that my toes were poking out from underneath the hem of the coat…apparently I had kicked off my socks at some time in the night…and the rest of the garment hung over my body like a tent; looking oddly comfortable, and comical at the same time. After a few moments of looking at my reflection I couldn't help it…I laughed. I laughed at my appearance…at how a family of vampires was currently downstairs cooking breakfast for a human…I laughed quietly to myself until I heard the door to the guest bedroom creaking gently as it opened and Alice looked in; a quizzical expression on her face as she asked:

"What's so funny?"

Lifting my arms so that the coat sleeves dangled over my hands, I made my best attempt at a shrug; grinning as Alice shook her head before stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her. She gave me a quick once-over before getting down to business; ushering me into the bathroom as she said:

"You have just enough time to shower before breakfast is ready; and then your dad wants you back at home in time for lunch. He says he has a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as Alice shooed me towards the bathtub "What kind of surprise?"

Shaking her head at me, Alice indicated for me to get into the shower; making to duck out of the room as she replied "You'll see. But I think you'll like it."

I heard the door click shut behind her as I let the coat slide off of my shoulders; being careful to spread it gently over the countertop before shrugging out of the rest of my clothes and stepping into the bath to start the water running. The smell of my impending breakfast served as tremendous incentive…and I sped through the process of cleaning up; hastily donning an old t-shirt and some jeans before taking the stairs two at a time while simultaneously raking my fingers through my damp hair. A loud laugh met me as I finally entered the kitchen with a not-so-graceful skid…and I spent a brief moment searching for its source before my eyes landed on Emmett; my eyebrows raising as I stopped in my tracks to await the reason for his outburst. When none was forthcoming, I made a show of putting my hands on my hips as I said:

"What?"

"I think Charlie might've made a mistake; thinking you were able to handle your surprise" Emmett replied, a smirk quirking the corners of his mouth upwards as he looked at me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes "You're just not cut out for…"

"Emmett!" Alice chided, stepping over to him and thwapping him on the arm before turning to me and amending "He doesn't know what he's talking about, Elena. Just eat your breakfast."

Sending her a confused look, I opened my mouth to speak; falling silent once again as she grabbed my plate from the counter and held it under my nose. My stomach took over for me from there, all but compelling me to sit down and eat; despite the fact that my curiosity was rapidly amping up over what this surprise might be. It wasn't like my dad to be truly spontaneous like this…and I fought back a small wave of uncertainty as I swallowed some egg; content to try and distract myself with listening to Emmett and Alice bicker. Their good-natured antics had me laughing several times as I finished up the breakfast they had been kind enough to prepare for me…and it was with equal parts of anxiousness and excitement that I climbed into the back of Rosalie's car to go home; my elevated mood only slightly tainted by the absence of one vampire in particular. Before I could dwell on that fact much longer, however; Emmett's voice rose from the driver's seat, eagerly engaging me in conversation as we pulled out of the Cullen's long driveway and onto the main road.

Time to figure out what this surprise was…

…

**Hello everyone! Yet another update (run away? Lol). Once again I wanted to take the time to thank each and every one of you for following this and giving it your continued support! And a special thank you to "guest" since I wasn't able to reply individually from your review. I truly do appreciate your kind words!**

**Alrighty, so on to the chapter. This one was kind of a filler of sorts, because I wanted to do another Garrett's POV thing; plus I wanted to get Elena home to Charlie for a bit since I didn't want to have her just forget all about her dad. I'm knee-deep in studying for finals still but I wanted to write this and the bunnies just wouldn't let go. As such, if it isn't the best, I can always take it down and re-do it once everything has calmed down a bit. Otherwise, if you all like it, it stays up and I'll update again after next Tuesday!**

**Lastly I have one little question. I have another scene planned for her and Garrett to get to know one another before Bella returns. But here's the issue…do I do ANOTHER scene after the one I have planned, where he can tell her about being his mate before her sister returns? Or do I have him tell her after? I'm leaving this part up to you guys, as readers; so don't hesitate to give me your thoughts!**

**Thanks again and happy reading!**

**~MJR~**


	7. Surprises Abound

"He _didn't_" I gasped, my eyes widening as we pulled into the driveway of my old home; the unfamiliar car parked next to Charlie's police cruiser causing my jaw to drop. An overly conspicuous, bright red bow rested on top of the shiny black paint on the roof; and Charlie was leaning against the passenger side door, a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat's on his face as Jake appeared at his side. Shaking my head as Emmett pulled to a stop, I unbuckled and stepped out of the car; my eyebrow rising as I looked at my father.

"Dad…what did you do?"

"Graduation present, El" Charlie replied; stepping away from the car as I walked over towards it "Figured since Bella would be taking the truck to college; you'd need a pair of wheels to call your own."

Biting my lip at the mention of Bella's supposed trip to 'college'; I walked around the perimeter of the car, a huff of amazement escaping as I saw the make and model. It was a Ford. A newer, more compact car than the one he had given Bella and I to share when we first arrived in Forks. And I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping yet again as I took a peek at the interior; before pulling back and fixing my father with an incredulous stare.

"Dad, you…you really shouldn't have gone to such an expense."

"It was nothing, El" Charlie assured me, shoving his hands in his pockets as I walked back around the car towards him "Just wanted you to have a little something as a reward for pulling through and graduating in spite of everything…the move…you know…"

"Dad…" I whispered, biting back a sudden wave of tears that wanted to rise to the surface as I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. I didn't say anything more…I couldn't really, without fear of ending up a sobbing mess…but as always with Charlie, I could communicate everything I was feeling almost without words; and I found myself smiling as I felt his arms tighten around me before he pressed a kiss to my hair. We stayed like that for a moment or two, before I pulled away from him; blinking away leftover tears as I said:

"Thank you."

"Jake helped" Charlie said then, keeping his arm around my waist as he turned around to face his closest friend's son. For his part, Jake was doing his best to hide his own smirk; and I broke away from my father then, stepping over to give him a hug as well as he said:

"I tried to make it as unbreakable as possible. You know…that way you can't hurt yourself, even if you try."

"Shut up Jake" I said, nudging him in the ribs as I turned back to face my new car; a resigned laugh escaping as Emmett spoke up.

"So, you gonna give it a try; or are we just gonna sit here and watch it collect dust?"

"Go ahead, El" Charlie said, holding out his hand so he could give me the keys "Don't wreck it though. And be back in time for dinner."

"Got it, Dad" I said, throwing him one more smile before unlocking the driver's side door and getting in; shaking my head as Emmett tossed the bow to the side before he plopped into the seat beside me. Putting the key in the ignition, I took a deep breath; putting the car in reverse and pulling out of the driveway.

Of course, Emmett was back-seat driving the entire time.

…

Later on that evening, a knock at the door broke the silence that Charlie and I had been enjoying while watching some old Western flick; causing me to jump as he got up with a grunt and went to answer it. Reaching over to pull the pillow he had tossed to the ground onto my lap; I curled my arms around it, resting my chin on top as I heard a woman's voice echoing towards me from down the hall. Before I could spend too much time pondering who on earth it was, though; Seth Clearwater came bounding into the living room, plopping onto the couch beside me and leaning up against my arm as he asked:

"Whatcha watching?"

"John Wayne film" I replied, looking over at him and smiling before I asked "Where's Leah?"

"Pack meet" He said, casting a furtive glance towards the hallway to make sure Charlie and Sue weren't going to walk in on us at any second before going on "They let me off this once to make sure you were alright."

"Alright? Why wouldn't I be alright?"

"Jake told us about the guy you were with at Bella's wedding" Seth replied, absently toying with the edge of the pillow in my lap that was closest to him "And Sam is worried"

"About what?" I asked, moving a bit so that I could see Seth without craning my neck.

"I think you know what, El."

Sighing, I looked down at the pillow I was holding for a moment; before looking back at Seth as I spoke.

"He's a friend of Carlisle's" I began, holding up my hand as I saw Seth preparing to protest "I have to believe that means he won't harm me. Or anyone else for that matter." As I spoke, I couldn't explain the strange desire I had to defend a man I barely knew…but before I could really put too much extra thought into it; Charlie and Sue were entering the room, forcing Seth and I to fall silent as we sidled over to allow more room on the couch to sit. I briefly took note of Sue setting an overnight bag down by Charlie's old armchair…and I smiled as I leaned over towards Seth; speaking so that no one else would hear.

"You two staying the night?"

"Yup" He replied, stretching slightly before settling into the couch "Mom wanted to see Charlie, and Sam wanted me to, er…come along too."

"I see" I said, shaking my head and smiling in spite of myself. Leave it to Sam to take precautions in favor of ensuring that no laws were broken; even when it was highly unlikely that any would be. He had always been that way, since the Cullens had come into our lives…and it was highly unlikely that he would change his ways this late in the game. Just as it was highly unlikely that Bella would change her mind about being turned.

Pushing the unpleasant thoughts that came about as a result of contemplating my sister's impending immortality, I clutched the pillow I had been holding closer to me as I forced myself to return my focus to the movie; doing my best to remain in the present instead of worrying over the future. After all…even if I lost Bella eventually, that didn't mean I didn't have anyone, right?

…

"Seth, what are you doing?" I called out after him, huffing as I hurried to keep up. We were out on yet another run, something that was becoming a rather nice habit, actually; but he had taken us on a different path this time. A path I was not entirely familiar with. Pushing aside the low-hanging branch that barred my path; I let out a faint gasp as I realized exactly where he had led us.

We were on the exact same cliff that the new pack members jumped from to prove their salt…the very same precipice that my sister had jumped from after Edward had left. And I found myself biting back a wave of apprehension as I stared at Seth from where I stood; doing my best to force strength into my voice as I said:

"We can't do this, Seth."

"Oh c'mon, El; where's your spirit of adventure?" He asked, smiling his typical, lop-sided grin at me as he went on "It's a piece of cake. We've got this."

"Last I checked, I was still human" I protested, backing up a step as Seth began edging towards me; a glint of mischief in his eyes "And that means I'm still breakable."

"Oh relax. We'll do it together. I'll be with you the whole time."

Seth was still coming towards me as he spoke, and I found myself letting out a nervous squeak as my back bumped into the trunk of a tree; my hands coming up instinctively in front of my body as I said:

"Alright, assuming I'm actually crazy enough to let you rook me into this…what do we tell Charlie and your mom when we come home drenched from head to toe?"

"We tell them we went for a swim to cool off" Seth replied, grinning from ear to ear as he drew near enough to me to render dodging to the side to escape him impossible "It's not entirely a lie."

Rolling my eyes at him, I took a deep breath; trying in vain to figure out another way to talk him out of this. Seth, however, had other ideas; his arm darting out instantaneously to loop around my waist, my words of protest dying on my lips as he scooped me up and began running towards the cliff edge.

"Seth, don't you da…"

My exclamation quickly turned into a high-pitched shriek as he threw us off the cliff; my stomach all but lodging in my throat as we fell towards the water below. His hand never left mine as we tumbled down towards the waves; and I managed a gulp of air before we went below the surface, my legs kicking almost instantly to try and get to the surface. We broke for air at roughly the same time, Seth remaining cool and unperturbed while I spluttered for a few moments; the smirk on his face causing me to choke out a raw laugh as I said:

"I could…I could kill you for that."

"Aw, but you won't because you adore me" He replied, dodging the splash of water I sent towards his head before he latched onto my arm and started swimming towards the shore. The two of us spent a couple minutes sprawled on the sand, catching our breath; before Seth was hauling me to my feet, ignoring my grumble of protest as we both began heading back in the direction of my car. The impact of my body hitting the water had left me sore, and more than a little shell-shocked…but I had to admit to myself that a small part of me had rather enjoyed the thrill of being suspended in free-fall for a second or two before going beneath the waves. Biting back a smile, I followed Seth in companionable silence to my car; dragging two towels out of the trunk and placing them over the seats so they wouldn't get wet before we drove back to Charlie's. Turning my head slightly as I addressed Seth, I tried my best to keep the laughter out of my voice as I spoke.

"You're the one who's explaining this to Charlie and Sue; just so you know."

…

Pulling into the driveway, I took note of the black Mercedes parked behind Charlie's cruiser; my eyebrows pinching together slightly as I put the car in park and Seth and I got out. My finger automatically went to the button to lock the vehicle as the two of us made our way to the front door; and I jumped a bit as Alice appeared before we had even hit the porch steps, her eyebrows arched in an expression of utter shock as she spoke.

"Why are you all wet?"

Sending a mock glare in Seth's direction, I grabbed the door as she held it open for us; allowing him to pass through first before saying:

"Someone decided to toss the human off a cliff."

"He _what_?" Alice asked, her voice notching up an octave as she whirled around to face Seth as he made for the tray of donuts on the kitchen table the next room over. He froze in his tracks at the tone in Alice's voice; but before she could light into him and draw attention to us, I placed a hand on her arm as I attempted to calm her.

"Relax, Alice…I'm clearly still breathing."

"You're a _mess_" She hissed, gesturing to my sopping clothes and hair before turning to face Seth once again "How am I going to explain this to Charlie?"

"Actually Seth was going to…" I began, stopping short as Carlisle's head appeared from around the corner leading into the kitchen. I saw his eyebrow arch up as he took in my sodden appearance; a twitch of his mouth belying his amusement as he stepped fully into view.

"There you are, Elena" He said, laughter in his voice as he went on "Come into the living room. Charlie wanted to see you for a moment before we leave."

"Before _we_ leave?" I questioned, throwing the blond vampire a quizzical look as Alice began ushering me towards where he stood. Carlisle simply smiled at me then, before turning and walking out towards the living room; and I followed obediently, Seth right by my side. Sue's young son seemed to have grown tense, for some reason; and I barely had time to ponder what on earth might have caused such a sudden change, before we were in the living room, my heart doing an awkward little jump as I realized why Seth was so seemingly upset.

The very reason he had been sent over to stay the night was seated between his mother and Charlie on the couch. I could see a faint flicker of curious amusement flash through his eyes as he took in the state of my appearance…and I couldn't help but allow my head to tilt to the side as I realized his eyes were a deep shade of brown instead of their normal red. I flicked my gaze to Carlisle then, registering his nod in answer to my silent question; before returning my focus to the couch, a surge of uneasiness rolling through me when I took in how Sue was perched on the edge of her seat, as though ready to dart off at any second. Clearly, she knew exactly who the stranger at her side was…and I saw her eyes flick to meet mine in a manner of seconds; a flash of warning hitting me like a ton of bricks before she turned to look at Charlie as he spoke.

"El…why are you all wet?"

"Swimming…we went swimming" I replied, trying to force the nervousness from my voice as I registered Sue's look of dawning comprehension.

"Seth, you _didn't_" She said, a mix of shock and amusement on her face as she turned to look at her son.

"Didn't, what, mom?"

His innocent act didn't phase her, though; and I bit my tongue to avoid laughing as she fixed him with a stern look. I saw Charlie look from her, to me, to Alice then; and I squeezed my eyes shut as my sister spoke.

"They went _cliff_ diving" She said, her arm curling around my own as she pulled me towards her, and away from Seth. Charlie's eyes widened at her words, and I took note of Garrett's hand clenching a bit on his knee as his eyes met mine; making my cheeks turn a light shade of red as I offered him a small smile. He was clearly upset…but I could just barely make out his eyes softening a bit as we held each other's attention; only to find myself jumping as Carlisle spoke up and brought me back to the present.

"Elena, why don't you go get cleaned up and then we can head out."

Turning to face him, I ran a hand through my damp hair as I said:

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see" Alice replied, ushering me from the room and towards the stairs. Her old smile had returned as we walked together; and I found myself laughing as she asked me "What exactly persuaded you to think jumping off a cliff was a _good_ idea?"

"Spirit of…adventure?" I said, smiling at her look of incredulity before stepping into my bedroom "Honestly, Alice; I'm not sure. It wasn't a…planned thing."

"Well I wouldn't suggest doing it again" She said, stepping over to my closet and perusing its contents for whatever I would be wearing on our impromptu outing "You probably almost gave Garrett a heart attack."

"What? Why?"

The look that Alice gave me then was impossible to read, but before I could ask her what on earth she was thinking; she was tossing a light blue tank at me and flitting over to my dresser to find a decent pair of jeans. Shaking my head a bit, I took the pants she offered, heading into the bathroom to don the new outfit before attempting to make my hair into less of a mess. Once Alice was satisfied that I no longer looked like a drowned rat, the two of us made our way back downstairs; Alice leaving me with Sue, Charlie, and Seth while she went out to join the others in the driveway. Walking over to give my dad one last hug, I found myself looking up at him as he asked:

"You still have the pepper spray, El?"

Pulling back from him, I threw him a confused look as I spoke.

"Why on earth would I need that, dad?"

"Never hurts to be prepared" He replied, throwing a look out towards the driveway before returning his attention to me "I can't figure out what to make of Carlisle's new friend."

A laugh escaped as I contemplated exactly how ineffective something like pepper spray would be against a vampire…but for Charlie's sake, I nodded my agreement; smiling as I saw him look a little less worried, before I stepped towards the door. It wasn't really surprising that he was worried about this newcomer into our lives…but despite my own misgivings about the situation; I was somehow certain that he was not a threat. A fact that both comforted me…and worried me with how quickly I was jumping to conclusions.

Shoving those thoughts to the back of my mind, I hurried to meet with the group standing outside by Carlisle's car; stopping short as Garrett stepped away from everyone else to address me.

"Pepper spray?" He questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice as he waited for my answer. I ducked my head down for a minute, biting my lip to curb my own desire to laugh before I looked up at him and replied:

"You never know. Might come in handy."

His gaze held mine for a fraction of a second then, before I felt Alice tugging at my arm to get me inside the car. Reluctantly, I allowed her to open the door and usher me inside; before sliding over to allow her to take her seat beside me. Wherever we were going, she seemed unreasonably excited…and I found myself smiling in spite of the apprehension I felt as Garrett got into the car on my opposite side; shaking my head as the brush of his arm against mine sent a shiver through my body.

Wherever we were going, this was bound to be interesting; if nothing else.

….

**Howdy all! Welcome to another chapter! And please do accept my apologies for the longer-than-expected delay. I got caught up in enjoying FINALLY being done with finals; and then an idea for one of my other stories stole me away for a bit. But anyway, here we are!**

**I know I said I was going to do another scene where they'd get to know each other before the big reveal, as it were…but these ideas sort of ran away with me, and I didn't want to add the other scene in here as well for fear of being too jumpy. If you all would prefer though, I can take this down and add that scene…that way we can get right into the reveal. OR I can do two more chapters (one with the scene I'm talking about and a separate one for when El finds out they're mates. Whichever you would prefer). I just don't want y'all getting bored with my fluff, lol before Bella gets back.**

**Also, I'd like to thank all of my guest reviewers that I couldn't reply to individually (kikikiki, Jairu, guest, and hybrid angel 89) for your support! Hope you like this chapter as much as the others!**

**At any rate, I'm about to stop rambling (hooray!) but before I sign off, I'll say thank you all very very much for your continued support. And I hope this chapter meets up with your expectations.**

**Thanks again!**

**MJR**


	8. Gutter Ball King

"Esme, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett are going to meet us there" Carlisle said from the driver's seat; flicking his eyes to meet mine as he drove down the nearly empty street towards our destination. I still had no idea where we were supposed to be going…but nonetheless, I found myself relaxing into the seat; ignoring the little thrill that went through me every time I bumped against Garrett as I said:

"And I assume you won't tell me anything about what we're doing until we actually get there."

"That would be correct" Carlisle replied, laughing at my huff of indignation before returning his attention to the road. I turned to try and plead my case to Alice next, but my efforts were in vain as she shook her head at me before I could even speak. Pursing my lips, I debated my next move; curiosity burning through me and forcing me to turn to face Garrett in the seat on my opposite side. Swallowing, I brushed a tendril of hair away from my face before I spoke.

"I don't suppose you would tell me what we're doing?"

I thought I saw him jump a bit as I addressed him, and I felt my cheeks redden a bit at the thought of potentially interrupting his train of silent thoughts. All fear of being a nuisance quickly fell away as I saw him turn to give me a half smile, however; a flutter coursing through my stomach as he replied.

"That depends" He said, his voice nearly rendering my mind incoherent as I continued listening to him speak "Do you have my back if Alice tries to get at me for spilling the beans?"

"Sure" I replied, offering a hesitant smile of my own as I looked back at Alice "As long as you realize I'll probably only give you about a second's head start before I'm a goner."

Something in his eyes changed then; and I thought I saw a muscle in his jaw twitch for a fraction of a second before he said:

"I wouldn't let that happen."

Raising my eyebrows at him, I did my best to ignore the effect his gaze was having on me as I replied "That would tend to…counteract the whole advantage I just gave you though…"

I trailed off as I saw a momentary flash of something unrecognizable in his eyes; but before either one of us could speak again, Alice was looping her arm around my shoulder, a playful smile on her face as she said:

"El I would _never_ kill you for getting in the way…I'd just…take you shopping."

Groaning, I leaned back in the seat then; turning to look at Alice as I spoke.

"I doubt I have any more room in my closet for clothes, Alice."

"Our house has closets, El" Alice said then, laughing as I gave her a good roll of my eyes; before turning to face the front of the car as Carlisle pulled into a nearby parking lot. I let out a little gasp as I realized where we were; shaking my head a bit as I asked:

"Bowling? You guys can _do_ this; without…without _breaking_ things?"

"Of course we can" Alice replied, smirking at me as she went on "It's all about self-control."

"Self-control" I repeated, allowing a huff of laughter to escape as I prepared to follow Garrett out of the car; freezing for a fraction of a second as I realized he was holding his hand out to me. Blinking a few times as I let my eyes move from his hand to his face; I bit my lower lip and took a deep breath before I edged over to the car door and placed my hand in his. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel something akin to a tingling warmth as his fingers curled around my hand…a sensation that had me resisting the urge to laugh; given that his skin was much cooler than mine in spite of what I was feeling. I allowed him to pull me out of the car and into a standing position then; smiling my thanks before I let my gaze fall to the cement of the parking lot in an attempt to mask the way my face fell when his hand left mine to shut the car door behind me. The happiness I felt when our hands touched…the _emptiness _I experienced when that touch was gone…none of it was natural. Not in the slightest. But I forced my thoughts back to the present as best I could as I noticed Emmett pulling into the parking spot beside us; allowing a grin to appear on my face once again as he got out and addressed me.

"Ready to get your butt kicked, El?"

"Please" I scoffed, falling into step beside him as we made to enter the bowling alley "This is one thing I can actually _win_."

…

"Aw, c'mon man; you're killing me!" Emmett exclaimed, running a hand through his hair haphazardly as he stared at Garrett "Can you throw anything _other _than gutter balls?"

Looking up from where my attention had previously been diverted discussing shoes with Alice and Rosalie, I found myself biting my lower lip; the combination of a vampire finding something they actually _didn't _excel at, coupled with Garrett's absolutely sheepish expression as he turned to face his team-mate almost leaving me in stitches. I held my laughter inside as I prepared to take my own turn with the pins, though; winking in jest at Emmett as I passed by.

"Relax, big brother" I quipped, giving Garrett a faint smile before going on "Five minutes ago you were saying you didn't even _need _a team to win this game. What changed?"

Emmett merely glared and let out a huff of indignation as I turned my attention to the lane before me; drawing my arm back and letting the ball roll down the lane as I watched. All but two of the pins went down; and I permitted myself a brief smile of satisfaction before turning back to see Emmett staring, open-mouthed, at the lane.

"That's it, I'm trading" He said, walking over to Carlisle, who had designated himself coordinator of the entire affair "El for Gutter-ball King over here."

"No trades Emmett" Carlisle replied, winking at me as his son opened his mouth to argue "You picked him for your team to begin with."

"But…"

"But nothing, Emmett" Esme spoke up, smiling at her son before going on "Fair is fair."

Laughing to myself, I grabbed another ball that was of similar weight to the one I had just used; knocking the remaining two pins down with the next throw, and returning to sit beside Alice as Jasper moved to replace me. Taking the bottle of water that Rosalie was handing me from the table nearby; I took a sip, almost dropping the bottle as Garrett sat down on the seat to my left.

"Any pointers you can give before he kills me?"

Laughing slightly, I recapped the water bottle; allowing my eyes to meet his as I spoke.

"When you release the ball, your arm ends up going slightly to the left rather than straight forward" I said, ignoring the flush that rose to my cheeks at the open admission of how I had been watching him "Try keeping it straight in front of you instead and you shouldn't hit the gutter as much."

He smiled at me then, his eyes crinkling at the corners and making my heart stutter as he said "And if that doesn't work?"

Pausing for a moment, I considered my reply; a faint thrill running through me as I shrugged.

"Running is always a potential option."

At Garrett's quizzical look, I turned to look at Emmett preparing to take his own turn; a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth as I clarified "I'd wager you're probably faster than he is."

"I heard that" Emmett called as he launched the ball down the lane, perhaps with a bit more vehemence than he had originally intended. It bounced twice as it connected with the wooden floor; and ended up sailing over into the next lane, shocking the players there, and sending me into silent giggles. Emmett threw me a glare before rushing over to pick up the stray ball and apologize; and I took the presented opportunity to rise from my seat and opt for what Bella so affectionately called a 'human moment.' I briefly took note of Alice moving over to whisper something in Jasper's ear; but I didn't give it any thought as I made my way to the restroom, still laughing at Emmett's mishap.

It didn't take long for my mind to turn, instead, to my brief interaction with Garrett, however; a faint smile twitching at the corners of my mouth as I realized how surprisingly…_easy_…it had been to speak to him; when before I had been too afraid to say much. I couldn't deny that a part of me hungered for still more interaction…more opportunity to get closer to him…but I dismissed those thoughts while I freshened up; giving myself a last, cursory glance before exiting the restroom and heading back towards my family. Keeping my eyes to the floor as I meandered back to where everyone else was seated, I found myself in for a shock as I looked up upon finally approaching our lane; and noticed that Garrett was the only one who remained.

Blinking in surprise as I watched him turn to meet my gaze, I shoved a hand through my hair; all the confidence I had felt earlier quickly retreating as I managed to speak.

"Where…where is everyone?"

"They went out for a walk" He explained, standing and walking over to me; his eyes holding something akin to mischief as he added "How about a game of air hockey to pass the time?"

"A-a what?" I stammered, looking around as though I was expecting one of the Cullens to jump out from behind the next chair as a practical joke. When no one appeared, I turned back to face the man who could set my mind to racing with a single glance; swallowing my trepidation as I heard his reply.

"Alice said you were about as good at that as you were as bowling" He said, smiling down at me before continuing "But I happen to be pretty decent, myself, so…"

Comprehension dawned on me as he trailed off; and I narrowed my eyes up at him as I said matter-of-factly "You're challenging me."

"Maybe" He replied, all but smirking at me as he took a step back with a sigh "But if you're not up for it…"

"Never said I wasn't" I interrupted, something in the playful edge to his tone spurring me forward as I stepped around him and headed towards the area housing the arcade. Pausing in mid-step, I turned to see him watching me from a few steps back with a curious grin; and I found myself internally flinching at the uncharacteristic boldness in my voice as I said:

"Well are you coming; or are you afraid to be beaten by a human?"

Garrett simply laughed then, before he moved to follow me; his hand seeming to travel to my lower back of its own accord as he caught up to me while we closed the distance between ourselves and our destination. The warm spark that I had felt when he took my hand earlier returned ten-fold as his hand remained against the small of my back; and I looked up at him then, our eyes meeting for a moment before I ducked my head down to rummage in my pocket for some spare change to feed the machine. After depositing the proper amount of change; I stepped over to the nearest side of the table, nudging one of the mallets towards his end of the table as he spoke.

"How long have you and your sister known the Cullens, exactly?" He asked; almost absently flicking the puck my way on the table as he waited for me to reply. I bit my lip as I sent the puck back towards him; mentally tallying the time that had elapsed since my sister and I had moved to Forks, before settling on a rough guestimate.

"Around two years" I replied, noting his look of astonishment as he interrupted.

"And she and Edward got married that quickly?"

"They…they've been through a lot together" I said, moving to block the puck as he sent it back to me.

"Like what?"

I could tell he was curious to know what exactly it was that I was talking about…despite our constant exchanges that kept the game moving; his eyes remained almost solely on my face as he waited for an answer. And I found myself laughing a bit at the earful he was likely to receive if he truly wanted to know everything that had brought Bella and Edward closer together; shaking my head a bit as I replied:

"Well, there was the nomad thing you heard about when we had the game of baseball…then there was the trip to Volterra…"

I caught a sharp noise at the mention of the Volturi stronghold; my eyes snapping up just in time to see the puck go airborne and skitter across the floor to roll to a stop underneath the pool table a few feet away. Quirking an eyebrow at him, I hurried over to retrieve it; a hint of concern taking over as I returned to the table and noticed how he had gripped both sides with his hands, as though trying to remain standing. I tossed the puck to the center of the table then, choosing to stall the play for a moment as I moved to stand beside him.

"What was that about?" I asked, my voice soft and tentative despite the fact that I knew on some level that I had no reason to be afraid. Something in the way he was holding onto the edges of the table had me worried though. It was as though the only thing separating him from becoming something extraordinarily dangerous was the iron grip on the table…and I slowly allowed my hand to come to rest on the arm closest to me; jumping a bit as his head snapped up as he spoke.

"You went to Volterra?"

Taking note of how there was a hint of something akin to genuine fear in his eyes; I did my best to phrase my next words carefully, running my tongue over my lips slowly before I said:

"The Cullens left us, briefly, after Bella had started her involvement with Edward. A series of misunderstandings prompted him to think she had…killed herself…" I trailed off then, averting my eyes as I finished "He wasn't going to live without her; so we had to find a way to convince him she was still breathing."

"And you went as well." It wasn't a question…more so a resigned statement of facts…and I registered his mouth tighten a bit as I nodded my confirmation; before hurrying to explain.

"Alice suspected Edward would associate Bella's appearance with a dream" I clarified; barely noticing how my hand had tightened on his arm slightly as I continued "But if I were to be present as well…that possibility would seem less logical."

His eyes searched mine then, his free hand coming up to rest on top of my own as he asked "Did you meet them?"

"The Volturi?"

Garrett's answering nod was short…and I saw the hand that was still supporting him on the table clench slightly in anticipation of my reply. Fighting back against the fleeting shiver of apprehension that rolled through me; I took a deep breath, before lowering my hand from his arm as I whispered:

"Yes."

His eyes held mine for a moment as we remained silent; the tense posture he had been holding finally letting up as he shifted so that he was standing upright, forcing me to look up at him. The height difference was something that I wasn't completely used to yet; despite the fact that I had never been the tallest one in the room by a long shot…but I quickly shoved that train of thought to the side as I registered Garrett speaking again.

"How are you still…"

"Alive?" I asked, bringing up a hand to shove a wisp of hair out of my eyes as I leaned my back against the air hockey table "They…the Cullens…made a sort of…deal with them."

"I wasn't aware the Volturi made deals."

"They don't, from what I hear" I clarified, taking note of his skeptical expression as I went on "But in this case, they will do nothing against Carlisle and his family if…if Bella and I are turned by the next time they come for a little visit."

"So Edward turns Bella…" He said, trailing off and shifting slightly on his feet as he watched me "And you?"

Shaking my head, I lowered my gaze; tensing a bit as I felt a cool hand closing around my own. Flicking my eyes towards the somewhat comforting sensation, I bit my lip; letting a sigh out before I replied.

"Carlisle said he would do it, but…I don't know…"

Before I could explain further, however; I heard Alice's voice calling to us, forcing me to turn around to face the door as she said:

"There you are. We should probably get you back to Charlie, El. Wouldn't want him to start worrying."

"Sure" I replied, casting one more glance at Garrett before following Alice out to the car. He wasn't long to follow; his hand once again coming to rest at the small of my back, sending a little thrill through me despite how I tried to ignore it. We spent the remainder of the time from the alley back to my home discussing the recent game we had played…but my mind remained fixed on the topic of my being turned.

For the first time since it had been brought up by the Volturi, I had encountered someone whose opinion in favor of the occurrence had been written clearly on his face. And I had no idea what that meant…or why it troubled me so much.

…..

**Hiya guys! Sorry for yet another delay…Mother's Day kind of snuck up on me and I had a bit of scavenging to do for a proper gift. But now that that's done, it's back to business!**

**By popular request, here's a little chapter that offered Garrett and El a bit of an opportunity to get to know one another. I wanted to give them an opportunity for both joking around, and some serious talk; so I hope I did that justice. I'm trying to figure out if I want to do another scene that allows them some one on one time, or if I should just do a time jump and get right down to him telling her what's going on. It can honestly go either way in my mind, so if you have a strong opinion one way or the other I'd love to hear it! As I said before, I don't want to bore you with the little details (and I'm kind of getting antsy to get into the main plot anyway.)**

**Thank you to all of my lovely readers for your continued support! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you have the ones before it!**

**MJR**


	9. Confession

_(Garrett's POV)_

"Dude, would you relax?" Emmett grumbled from his place on the couch in the Cullens' living room; turning to throw me a glare as he shook his head at my incessant drumming against the table top with my fingers "She's been gone, what; two hours? What could possibly happen?"

"Let him be, Emmett" Carlisle interjected; throwing me a reassuring smile, before returning his attention to his son "This is just like Edward was with Bella."

"I'm pretty sure it's _worse_ than Edward was with Bella" Emmett argued; smirking at the irritated glare I sent his way before he turned back to the sports game on television. A part of me knew he couldn't possibly understand what this was like…it was common knowledge that Rosalie was very much capable of taking care of herself when the two of them were separated. But even though I was trying my best not to think about it, I knew that Elena was different. _Human_. Vulnerable. And the fact that she wasn't where I could easily protect her was driving me insane; in spite of the knowledge that it was next to impossible for something to happen to her given who she was with. The more rational side of me was well aware that Leah Clearwater would be a hell of an obstacle to overcome should anyone get any ideas; not to mention what stood to happen to that person if Paul got wind of anything untoward. Hanging around with a werewolf in the flesh, plus the imprint of another had put Elena in quite possibly the safest position she could possibly be in outside of when I was with her. But that still didn't stop me from feeling the almost surreal compulsion to find where the girls had gone; and keep them within a safe observational distance anyway.

Before I could allow my thoughts to travel any further down that particular path, though; I felt Carlisle's hand squeezing my right shoulder, understanding written clearly in his features as he spoke.

"She'll be fine, Garrett. You can't always be with her; no matter how much you may want to."

Nodding my acknowledgement, I stood from the chair I had occupied at the table in the kitchen; ignoring the loud scrape that echoed through the room as the chair protested my sudden movement. Sitting around was clearly getting me nowhere; so I made to brush past my old friend, attempting a smile of my own as I said:

"I'm going to walk around a bit."

"Of course" Carlisle replied, one last look of understanding passing between us before I turned from him and strode out the door that was part way open and leading into the backyard. I barely took notice of the sounds of birds chirping, or the wind making the grass at my feet rustle; the strange sensation of warning and apprehension that rolled through me as I moved deeper into the woods on Carlisle's land distracting me from all other observation. A strange, constricting sensation had settled in around the area where my heart used to beat; and I paused in my movements then, holding stock still in the middle of the trees around me as I tried to piece together what was happening.

Of course I was aware of what legend had to say regarding the absence of one's mate. That it would be difficult to bear had never been a secret; even though at the time I first heard of such a thing, I had scoffed at its reality. But the feeling I was experiencing now was altogether different from what I had felt inside Carlisle's home. Then, it had been more of a dull ache that wound its way through my body; and the sense that the only way to relieve it would be to have Elena nearby. That, I knew, was natural. But this…tightness…something almost akin to all-out fear…was different. Alien. It was almost as though something was pulling me away from the as yet unknown direction I had been aiming for; and instead driving me to go back to the house I had just left. And the power I felt behind that pull was something that both amazed, and paralyzed me.

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I made to move forward once again; more so to see if I could shake this unnatural reaction to Elena's absence than from an actual wish to explore my old friend's backyard. But before I could move even a fraction of an inch; a sensation akin to hitting a solid wall forced me back a few steps, air leaving my lungs in a surprised huff as I threw my hand out to the tree beside me in an attempt to steady myself. The constriction in my chest had only intensified as I remained motionless…and I shook myself experimentally, not at all surprised when the act failed to relieve my seemingly irrational apprehension.

Something was wrong. I could feel it; even though I knew on some level I would never be able to explain it properly. And that alone compelled me to turn back towards the house; the speed with which I moved startling a few squirrels who had been attempting to make a nest as I passed. I only barely managed to slow down enough by the time I reached the edge of my friend's backyard; my eyes widening as I saw Carlisle himself moving across the yard towards me.

"What's happened?" I asked then, the look in my old friend's eyes alerting me to the validity behind my earlier suspicions as he approached. I could feel the strange sensation in my chest turning into an all-out burn as I awaited his reply…but I did my best to suppress the urge to make a beeline straight for his Mercedes as he answered my inquiry.

"Elena's fine" He began, a faint smile crossing his features at the way my shoulders all but slumped in relief as he went on "A few scratches is all…"

"Scratches?" I interrupted, the tension that had left my body seconds earlier returning full force as I unconsciously reached out to latch onto Carlisle's shoulder "Carlisle…"

"They ran into a few less than savory men on the way out of a restaurant" The blond vampire cut me off; guiding me towards the garage, and his car as he explained "Leah took the brunt of it when she tried to stand up to them; which is why I'm heading to Charlie's now. But Elena is alright. So is Rachel."

He stopped moving then, looking at me for a fraction of a second before he said "I think it might be better if you stayed h..."

"Like hell" I cut him off; stepping around him to stand by his car, my eyes all but daring him to try and force me to remain behind. Elena may have been alright, for all intents and purposes…and I did trust my friend not to lie to me in that regard. But that didn't stop the overpowering need I felt that was compelling me to see her with my own eyes. To prove to myself that she really was alright…that whatever monster that had tried to harm her hadn't succeeded. A smaller part of me was half tempted to hunt down whoever had come up with the idea to lay a finger on her…but that part was waylaid by my absolute need to be at her side; forcing me to hold up my hand as Carlisle shook his head, and allowing me to cut him off before he could speak again.

"I'm going with you."

It almost seemed as though he intended to dissuade me…but he must have thought better of it; since the next thing I knew, he was nodding in agreement, motioning for me to get inside the car as he unlocked the door for himself. Hurrying to get in before he could change his mind again; I offered him a tight smile in lieu of a verbal acknowledgement of my gratitude, before turning my gaze towards the front of the car, my fingers once again taking up their incessant drumming, this time on the arm rest by the door. I only caught the faintest hints of Carlisle's bemused laugh as I stared ahead at the road; absently taking the container he held towards me, and donning the contact lenses inside as he drove towards Elena's home. I could hardly tamp down my uncharacteristic anxiety as we closed the distance between ourselves and our intended destination…but I forced myself to avoid letting it all show; knowing that Carlisle was doing the best he could to get us to Charlie's as quickly as he could.

I just wished I was better at this whole 'patience' thing…

…..

Carlisle had barely parked the car in the driveway, before I was opening the door; only just remaining conscious of my surroundings enough to hold in the speed with which I could normally move as I walked with him to the door. Charlie was visible within seconds; his expression strained as he offered us a smile and held open the door…but I barely paid him any notice as I entered his home, my eyes immediately scanning the room in search of Elena.

It didn't take me long to find her…and I once again had to silently remind myself to keep my speed in check as I brushed past Sam and Emily to get to her side. She was standing against the wall by the television, engaged in quiet conversation with Rachel as the dark-skinned girl leaned into Paul from where he stood beside her…and without really thinking, I drew my mate to me as I finally reached her; ignoring her gasp of surprise as I tugged her into a tight embrace. Yet again the rational side of me was chastising me; knowledge of my sudden action's ability to frighten her more than comfort her almost forcing me to draw back and let her go. But in spite of that, I couldn't find it in me to release her from my arms; and I instead chose to lean down, pressing a light kiss to her temple as I spoke.

"Are you alright?"

I could feel her tense momentarily as I held her; and I loosened my grip on her just a bit as I awaited her reply. The poor thing was shaking in my arms, her eyes wide with barely suppressed fear…and it was all I could do to force aside the sudden urge to hunt down whoever it was that had frightened her in such a way; the only thing keeping me rooted to the spot being the small flash of a white bandage I caught on her hand as she moved it to brush aside a stray tendril of hair as she finally replied.

"I…I'm fine" She managed, her voice cracking a bit as she ducked her head down; and unconsciously leaned in to me "I'm just…I'm worried about Leah."

"Sam thinks she'll be fine, El" Rachel spoke up then; diverting my attention briefly away from Elena as I watched her intently "Just a few cracked ribs. I'm sure Dr. Cullen can handle that."

"Still, if I had just kept my mouth shut…"

"You were sticking up for a friend, Elena" Rachel cut in; giving me an appraising look for a moment before reaching to place a hand against Elena's arm "Don't you dare feel that you're to blame in this."

I felt Elena shrink slightly in my arms at her friend's words; and I tightened my hold on her automatically, running my hand down her arm until it rested at her elbow, never once releasing my hold on her as I registered Charlie approaching from our left. I saw his eyes narrow momentarily as he watched me holding onto his daughter…but he remained silent on the matter, instead addressing the group of us as a whole as he said:

"Carlisle says Leah will be perfectly fine once she rests up" His gaze flicked down to his daughter as she bit her lower lip; and I fought to suppress the thrill that went through me as I felt her bandaged hand come to rest on my arm while her father went on "I'm just glad she was with you when all of this went down."

Before anyone else could speak up in response to his statement; I found myself jumping as Elena pushed away from me, brushing past her stunned father and making a beeline for the front door of her home as Charlie and I both watched, frozen in place. I caught him making a move to go after her; but I was faster, moving past him and only barely noticing Carlisle making his way towards where we had been standing as I followed closely behind her as she took the porch steps two at a time into the front yard. She only made it about half way through the grass towards where her car was parked before she froze in mid step; and I slowed down accordingly, stepping to her side and moving to stand in front of her as I spoke.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked; moving my hand up to cup her cheek. Her eyes flicked to the lights shining out into the yard from the window of her home momentarily, before returning to meet my own; and I couldn't help but notice a faint flash of something akin to defiance in them as she replied:

"Somewhere…somewhere where I can think" She whispered, casting her eyes downward and shrugging away from me slightly as she went on "I can't…I can't do that here."

"Why not?" I asked, concern rolling through me as I saw her back away from me. I could feel the anxiety rolling off of her in waves as I watched her watching me…and it was all I could do to prevent myself from pulling her to me once again; knowing that to do so would, in all likelihood, push her further away. Remaining where I was, I did my best to relax my posture into a calmer position; flinching at the words she spoke next.

"You" She whispered, her words soft…uncertain, even as she flicked her eyes to mine; their hazel color seeming to burn straight through me as she elaborated "I can't breathe when you're not here. And I can't _think_ straight when you are…and I just…I don't know how to be anymore; because I…I just…"

She trailed off then, her eyes once again turning downward to remain fixed on the grass at her feet; her teeth worrying her lower lip as I remained rooted in place, watching her. Elation that she _had_ become aware of something between us warred with my fear that she would be too scared to let me in; and I began attempting to piece together something…anything…that I could say that might stand a chance at calming her down, only to be brought up short as she spoke up again.

"Why is that?" She asked, startling me as she stepped a fraction of an inch closer; her eyes cautious…guarded…as she peered up at me "Why do I feel that way?"

"Elena…" I warned; shaking my head minutely as I tried to think of a way to edge around a topic that was sure to scare her, taking note of how she seemed almost at war with herself as she stood there, half-leaning towards me, despite the clear desire in her eyes that was screaming at her to back away. It was obvious that she wasn't any better at fighting this than I was…but that didn't stop me from taking a step backwards of my own; silently chastising myself for the twitch my hand had made in a misguided attempt to pull her towards me once again as I finally went on "This isn't something you're ready to hear."

"Why don't you try me?" She countered, raising an eyebrow at me as she went on "I know you're aware of what I'm talking about."

Without warning, a low laugh escaped me at the unexpected accuracy of her observation; and I found myself forced to pause as the rational and irrational sides of my mind clamored for my attention. Rationality prompted me to avoid revealing exactly what she meant to me now, of all times; certainty that it would provoke nothing but fear given what she had just been through flooding me as I watched her eyeing me with suspicion. But despite that knowledge, the irrational part of me wanted nothing more than to tell her she was mine…that she would _be_ mine for the rest of time…and to hell with the consequences. I knew, on some level, that should she choose to run from this…from _me_; it would likely be my undoing. But I also knew that I could only keep the secret for so much longer before it slipped out anyway…and it was that reality that spurred me onward; my hand clenching of its own accord at my side as I finally spoke up.

"I know how it feels to be unable to think rationally in someone's presence" I began; watching her cautiously as I moved to approach her "I know what it's like to feel someone's absence killing you from the inside. I feel it too."

Pausing as I saw her eyelids flutter as I reached out to grab her arm; I permitted myself the brief luxury of inhaling her scent as a faint wind moved through the yard, closing my eyes to steady myself before opening them to look down at her as I went on.

"I hadn't wanted to tell you this so quickly" I said, smiling faintly at her as I watched her eyes widen as she looked up at me "But you're far more stubborn and inquisitive than I had originally anticipated…"

I thought I saw the faintest hints of a smile flick across her features at my words; but it was soon gone, replaced by curiosity and apprehension as her hand came to rest on my chest.

"Just tell me…" She whispered; her voice shaking in spite of how she held herself motionless, her eyes pleading with me to just answer the question she had asked of me. Forcing aside my own fears, I took a deep, albeit completely unnecessary breath; before I answered her, ignoring my own frustration at how easily she had persuaded me to give her what she wanted. Or at least, what she _thought _she wanted.

"El" I began, one last thrill of anxiety rolling through me as I looked at her upturned face "There is no possible way to tell you this without you thinking I'm crazy…"

"I'd say I'm fairly used to crazy" She cut in, a twitch at the corner of her mouth the only indication I had to her amusement as she watched me expectantly. Shaking myself in an attempt to bring back my usual confidence, I brought my hand up to curl over her own as I watched her carefully; anxious to see how she would take what I was about to say.

"Elena…you…are my mate."

…

**Howdy! I'm terribly sorry, once again, for the delay in updating. School and my other stories sort of took over most of my attention; coupled with uncertainty over how to write this chapter. But here it is! The finished product! Dun dun dun…..**

**I wanted to say that I hadn't originally intended on having the big reveal happen in this way…but once the idea grabbed hold of me, it just wouldn't let go. That being said, if it seems off, or hokey, or just plain God-awful I can take it down and re-write it (though that probably wouldn't be until next weekend given how busy I am during the week). In any case, I do hope to hear your thoughts on this, good, bad, or otherwise. And if general consensus says that this chapter is crap, I am more than willing to dispose of it and put up a better one, okay? Honesty is the best policy here.**

**Lastly, I (as usual) want to thank each and every one of you out there who took the time to read/favorite/follow/review this story! I'm so glad you all have stayed with me thus far; and I hope you are on for the rest of the journey as well! Next chapter…El's POV and reaction to Garrett's confession; plus probably Bella's return! No rest for the wicked, right? Lol.**

**Until next time…**

**MJR**


	10. I can't fight this

"I…I'm sorry, what?" I stammered; blinking several times in rapid succession as I took a haphazard step backwards away from Garrett while I struggled to fight off panic. The man…_vampire_…had just told me I was his mate. And I found myself torn between the desire to laugh hysterically at such a foreign and almost old-fashioned concept; and the desire to run as far as I could away from something that seemed so surreal. What he was saying couldn't possibly be true. It just couldn't. I must have just…misheard.

"Elena" Garrett all but whispered, his eyes reflecting their concern at the fear that was likely in my own; as his hand stretched out towards me, almost of its own accord "Elena, listen; I know it's a lot to take in…"

"Yeah…yeah it is."

"It's not exactly what I was expecting…"

"No…no, of course not."

I felt a cool hand on my shoulder then; and it was all I could do not to flinch as I looked up into the eyes of the man who had literally floored me with his revelation. I was torn between the desire to stay with him, and to run; and for a lack of anything else better to do, I settled for chewing absently at my lower lip. How I was keeping myself from a full out panic attack was beyond me…but I forced myself back to the present with a jolt as I registered Garrett speaking again.

"Elena I won't push you into this."

Shaking my head in amazement, I took another step backwards; bringing up my hand and placing it over Garrett's on my shoulder. Looking down at our hands as they touched; I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of calm stealing over me. The tingling warmth I felt when he touched me was undeniably…soothing. But that didn't stop my heart from racing anyway; pounding out its pattern of beats so rapidly that I had every reason to believe that he could hear it. Some small part of me knew that he wouldn't force me into anything I wasn't ready for. But that didn't stop instinct from driving into me like a truck; begging me to run before it was too late. Before I went down a path that couldn't be reversed.

But somehow I knew…it was too late for that, even now.

Regardless of that, though, I also knew that what he was talking about was impossible. Soul mates…people who were "meant to be"…that was the stuff of fairy tales. Legends. Certainly not reality. It couldn't be. Sure, Edward and Bella had a strange bond. But that was just…love, right? Not a connection that was meant to be from the beginning?

"Elena?" Garrett's voice brought me back to reality once again; forcing my eyes to meet his as I opened my mouth to speak…only to close it again as words failed me. I must have seemed so silly to him; standing there, struggling to maintain a coherent thought…a pathetically _human_ trait, I was sure. And I shook my head once again as I shoved a hand through my hair; backing away from him and forcing myself to ignore the stab of emptiness that shot through me as his hand fell from my shoulder.

"I can't…I can't be what you want" I stammered; my hand clenching at my side as I felt myself beginning to shake "I'm just….I'm just a human."

"Just a human…" He repeated; a faint grin tweaking at the corner of his mouth…God, that perfect mouth…and I kicked myself mentally as a brief desire to touch his lips with my fingertips flared through me; too lost within my own confusing thoughts to draw back before his hand rose to cup my cheek "Elena you are much more than that."

My body leaned into that touch almost of its own accord; and I squeezed my eyes shut to avoid falling prey to the heartbreaking look that had just crossed his face as I bit my lower lip again. It was almost as if I was under a spell. Some helpless, weak victim that couldn't control her own reactions to something that was clearly dangerous. _Surreal._ It was all too much for me to handle…and with a force of willpower that I didn't know I possessed; I wrenched myself backwards yet again, staggering a bit with the force of my action as I tried to put as much distance between myself and my supposed fate as possible.

"This…this isn't real. I'm going to wake up in a few minutes and…and I won't have heard a thing you just said."

"Elena, you're not dreaming" Garrett interjected; something about the way his tone had turned from casual to pleading…desperate…making my heart throb with something akin to pain as he elaborated "This is real. _Very _real. You have to trust me."

"Trust you? I barely _know _you."

The words had barely left my mouth when I felt their impact on the man before me; as if I had just punched him with a steel glove. The force of the unintentional blow I had just delivered seemed to reverberate off of Garrett, and head straight back for me…but before I could make any attempts at taking the words back, Carlisle's voice echoed out to us from the front door of my home.

"El…Charlie wants to talk to you."

Blinking, I nodded at the doctor; watching him as he turned and walked back inside before I flicked my eyes to Garrett. I hadn't meant to come off as…rude. Inconsiderate. And I knew, almost without really having to see him, that what I said hurt him. That alone made me want to kick myself. Reaching my hand out before I realized fully what I was doing, I latched onto his arm for a millisecond; before yanking my hand away and moving to pass him. Stopping at the last second, I turned slightly so that I could just see him out of the corner of my eye; lowering my voice to a whisper…knowing he would be able to hear.

"I'm sorry…"

…..

A few hours later found me pulling into Sam and Emily's driveway; not entirely sure why I was here, but not altogether sure that I would be any better off someplace else. After I had left Garrett; he had disappeared. Where to, I couldn't know for sure. But his absence hurt me more than I really would have liked…and hanging around at home, even with everyone around me doing their best to pull me into the main conversation certainly wasn't doing me any favors. All I could think about was him. How he had told me I was _his_. How I had essentially shut him down. And how the regret at that action had all but ripped through me the minute the words had left my mouth.

"_Trust you? I barely know you."_

Turning off the engine to my car, I leaned back in the seat; allowing my head to thump against the headrest as I closed my eyes and listened to the pattering of the raindrops against the windshield. Swallowing stiffly, I stifled the irritation that rose to the forefront as I silently chastised myself for doing what I never failed to do. When things got tough…when I was confronted with something that I couldn't reason through…I ran. Bolted was probably a better term, honestly. And now that I had been confronted with the one thing that I never in a million years expected…

I had done it again. Only now, I had hurt more than just myself in the process.

A muffled sound reached my ears then, jolting me out of my internal musings and forcing me to open my eyes in an attempt to locate the source of the noise. It didn't take me long to figure out what it was…and I fought to force a smile to my lips as I caught Sam opening the door to his house; one tanned arm waving at me to come in out of the rain. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to collect my unruly thoughts; knowing that he would be able to read my face like an open book. I didn't necessarily want to keep secrets from him, especially after he had done so much for my family…but the idea of his reaction to yet another one of his "sisters" becoming attached to a vampire wasn't exactly a pleasant one.

"Charlie told us you were heading over" He called as I shut the door to my car behind me and made my way through the muddy ruts of the driveway; stumbling once or twice in the downpour before I made it to the cover of the porch "Something wrong?"

"No, Sam, everything's fine" I managed, nudging my way past him as he held open the door; and once again marveling at how _warm_ he was as I toed my shoes off and set my purse on the kitchen table "I just wanted to come to your place. It's been a while."

"No kidding" He said, a rumble of a laugh rolling through the room as the screen door snapped shut "Emily was about to kidnap you if you didn't show your face soon."

"Sam, you just saw me earlier" I chided; laughing in spite of the anxiety that was still coiling around my stomach in a vice grip "Or did you forget?"

"What he means, El, is I was going to kidnap you if you didn't show up _here_ within a day or two" Emily's cool voice spoke up from behind me; causing me to jump and whirl around to face her as her face broke into a warm smile and she moved to pull me to her "We've missed you, sister."

Pulling back away from me, Emily sent me a knowing glance…she must have felt the tension in my muscles when we hugged…and she offered me a fleeting smile before she withdrew her arms from around my neck; turning to face Sam as she said:

"Babe, El and I are going to go for a walk."

"In the rain?"

"She can borrow one of your coats, Sam" Emily insisted; her voice gentle, yet firm. Sam threw us one last quizzical look before disappearing into the other room to get the aforementioned coat; and I took the brief moment of alone time with his imprint to mouth the words:

"_Thank you._"

Emily winked at me then, before turning her attention to Sam as he reentered the room; two coats in hand. Grabbing the huge blue one and tossing it my way; Emily donned the darker green one, holding out her hand to me as I shuffled around trying to maneuver my arms through the oversized garment. As her warm fingers curled around mine, I registered Sam letting out yet another rumble of laughter; and I failed to mask my own that came in answer as he spoke.

"El, you're _swimming_ in that thing."

"It'll do the job" Emily replied, leaning up on tiptoe to place a kiss at his lips before she tugged me around him and towards the door "We won't be long."

"Good. I'd hate to have to send the boys out hunting for you" He called after us; one last boom of laughter reaching our ears before he had shut the door behind him. For my part, I had no doubt that he would do just that…and I found myself shaking my head over the idea of all the 'wolves' searching for Emily and I; a faint laugh escaping me as I felt Emily squeeze at my hand.

"So what's this about, El?" She asked, tugging me behind her into the forest to the east side of her home "I could tell something was bothering you just by looking at you."

"Is it really that obvious?"

"To someone who knows you like I do, yes" Emily replied, holding a low hanging branch out of the way so that I could pass beneath it; and laughing as a few stray splatters of water plopped on top of the hood to my jacket. I could see the concern in her warm brown eyes as she stopped walking and crossed her arms; waiting for my reply. And I found myself almost _wanting_ to come clean; taking another deep breath to calm myself before I finally answered.

"You're going to think this is crazy…"

"I literally live with a pack of wolves, El" She said, taking my free hand with her own and coming to stand in front of me "I'm pretty sure nothing you can say will make me think you're losing it."

"Okay…promise you aren't going to laugh?"

"El…"

Looking down at the forest floor, I took a moment to gather my thoughts; deciding then and there that it was entirely likely that Emily wasn't about to let me back inside where it was warm and dry until I came clean. She was always like that where Bella and I were concerned…and it seemed like this time was no exception. Bringing my eyes up to meet hers, I heaved another sigh; letting my tongue glide over my lips once before I spoke.

"Do you remember Garrett? The one who…"

"The one who looked like he wasn't about to let any one of us touch you once he arrived? Yeah, I remember him. Sam wasn't too thrilled about that."

"I can imagine" I murmured, the image of Sam resisting the urge to pull me away from the dangerous stranger all too evident in my mind's eye as I continued "He uh…when we were outside, he…"

For some reason, I couldn't seem to make myself say the words; no matter how much I wanted to tell Emily what had happened…and I could see that she was coming to the wrong conclusion as I felt her hand tighten on my wrist automatically as she said:

"Did he hurt you?"

"No, not at all!" I exclaimed, hurrying to clear up the misunderstanding; and marveling at how willing I was to jump to Garrett's defense as I clarified "He never did anything untoward. It's just…he kind of told me something that…that I wasn't expecting."

Emily remained silent, watching me while I paused; trying to figure out what on earth I wanted to say next…while I struggled to say the words that I still found myself refusing to believe. But the more I thought about it…the more I _really_ thought about it…it was something I found harder and harder to deny.

"Let me take a stab at this" Emily began, startling me and garnering my attention as she went on "Judging by his reaction to your being hurt…and the fact that despite having experienced a trauma, you were cool as a cucumber in his presence…contrasting with how you're an absolute wreck now…I'm going to guess that he told you there's a connection between you two."

"Something like that…"

"Oh El…" Emily whispered then, one hand coming to cover her mouth while the other squeezed still more tightly on my wrist "El he didn't tell you that you were his…"

"His mate? Yeah, that's actually _exactly_ what he told me. But that's…that's impossible; right?"

"Sam's not going to like this…"

"He won't have anything to dislike if it isn't even real" I interrupted; panic clawing its way to the surface as the look on my friend's face all but confirmed that I was not dreaming. That this was my reality now. Every instinct I had was demanding that I do all in my power to deny what my heart knew was the truth. I could tell I was fooling myself…that I was wasting time denying the all too tangible facts. But that didn't stop me from trying like hell anyway; only pausing a moment to listen to Emily as she spoke again.

"It _is _real, honey. Trust me. It's very real."

"How?"

I heard Emily's sharp intake of breath as she prepared to explain; and I found myself closing my eyes…willing myself to remain calm and just _listen_ as she said:

"From everything I saw between you two; and from everything you've alluded to just now, El…it just seems a whole lot like the imprint thing with our wolves."

"Imprint thing…"

"Do you feel almost…empty…when he's not by your side?" Emily asked, bringing her hand up to turn my face so that I was looking at her head-on "Do you find yourself almost eager to do something…anything…just to hear his voice? Even if it's completely senseless?"

Staring at her, open-mouthed; I did my best to formulate a reply, the truth of her questions hitting me like a ton of bricks as she went on without even waiting for my affirmation.

"Does his touch light your veins on fire, even when you never thought such a thing was possible? And when he looks at you…when he does something as simple as saying your name…do you feel like you're the safest, most cherished person on this earth?"

"My God…" I trailed off, my hand flying to my throat as I felt my heart seem to lodge there. Everything Emily had just asked me…every single thing…would have to be answered with nothing less than a yes. As much as it pained me to admit how attached I had become to a man I barely knew; I couldn't hide from the fact that everything Emily said was true. There could be no denying it. No matter how much the rational side of my mind wanted to shield me from it; I couldn't avoid this forever. I knew that. I knew that whatever it was that had me hooked on a _vampire, _for crying out loud, was not going to let me walk away from this.

I was, for all intents and purposes…committed. And if I were to be honest with myself, I had been since the moment I first looked at Garrett in the forest outside of the Cullens' home.

"So what do I do?" I asked, biting my lower lip and trying my best to come to grips with the unfound determination I could feel taking hold in my mind. I knew I had to do _something_ to make up for how I had reacted earlier…and I knew that Emily was probably the only person who could reasonably tell me what that something was. Before she could even answer my inquiry though, we heard the sound of someone running through the damp undergrowth of the forest towards our location; muted footfalls echoing through the trees until Sam finally came into view a few steps away.

"El, I've gotta take you back to Carlisle's" He said, barely panting even though we must have been quite a distance away from the house. His dark eyes flitted between my face, and Emily's then; before he returned his gaze to me; stepping forward and placing a warm, firm hand on my shoulder as he said:

"Bella's back."

…

**Holy crud, guys! A month! A freaking month it took for me to get this update out! I'm terribly sorry for that. (Seems like I'm doing an awful lot of apologizing lately, eh?) I'm currently looking at five weeks off of those pesky rotations that were taking up so much of my time, though…so the goal is to crank out a few more chapters before my next one starts up at the end of July. Hopefully you can bear with me?**

**As for this particular chapter, I figured I'd do a little glimpse into Elena's thoughts on the whole "mate" thing…and like I promised, I gave us the opportunity to get into the movie proper with Bella's return. Now I know I kinda left a cliffhanger again in that regard. But I wanted so badly to get an update out to you today, and my parents want to go out after dinner; plus I'm due to be gone all day tomorrow, so…here she is!**

**I promise next chapter we will actually SEE Bella, as well as get a chance to see El and Garrett together again! But in the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And I hope El's feelings met up with your expectations! As always, feel free to leave me your thoughts in a review! You know I love reading them! (grin)**

**Until next time…**

**MJR**


	11. Stalemate

"So…we don't know anything?"

Sam's eyes flicked from the road to meet mine at what must have been the zillionth question I had peppered him with; his head shaking in the negative as he tightened his hands on the steering wheel.

"Nothing, other than they're back early; no."

Huffing my disappointment, I ignored Sam's low chuckle as I turned my attention back to the forest whipping by the side of my car as we drove towards the land bordering Cullen property. Sam was getting me that far, before he would leave on foot to avoid risk of violating the treaty; and I was to make the remainder of the journey on my own. That is, I would if my hands could stop shaking enough for me to hold onto the wheel properly.

"Relax, El" Sam admonished from the seat beside me then; one hand reaching over to squeeze my own "I'm sure she's just…caught a bug, or something."

Sam rolled to a stop soon after speaking, and he turned slightly in the chair; moving his hand up to my shoulder as he finished "Keep me posted?"

"Of course."

Watching as he got out of the car and jogged to the edge of the woods; I dug the heel of my hands into my eyes slightly, shaking my head in a half-hearted attempt to calm what could only be described as anxiety coursing through me while I slid over to the driver's seat. I couldn't explain it…why I was reacting this way. My mind had happened over several possible theories already; but none of them held up. If it was concern over facing Garrett again, I was reasonably certain that I would be able to force myself past that for my sister's sake. If it was concern for Bella, I would have a clearer idea of why my heart was hammering in my chest as though I had just downed an entire pot of coffee in ten seconds flat. But it wasn't either of those things…because those would have been logical. They would have made sense.

The paralyzing fear I was experiencing now…it _didn't _make sense.

Cursing under my breath, I fastened my seatbelt; flooring it unintentionally as I made to finish the drive to the Cullens' home. To my sister, and whatever mishap had brought her home early. I turned the radio on as I drove, focusing on taking steadying breaths as the music blared around me. Whatever this was, I was certain that it wouldn't do to have Bella see me falling apart. And so I resolved to shove my unfounded fears to the side as I drove down the street; steeling myself for whatever I was about to encounter once I reached my destination.

Knowing my sister…it was going to be huge.

…

"So…you're…_pregnant_?" I questioned; still unsure if I had heard Bella correctly as I paced back and forth in front of the couch where she was reclining "How…how is this possible?"

My sister opened her mouth to reply then; my uncertainty mirrored in her own expression as she began to explain, only to be cut off by Emmett as he stepped inside.

"What, El; you mean to tell me you _still_ don't know how babies are made?"

Rolling my eyes, I sent him a glare; a snort of laughter rising of its own accord in my throat despite the seriousness of the situation as I responded.

"I know where babies come from, Emmett" I hissed; running a hand through my hair as I turned back to Bella "But…I never thought…"

"That a human could conceive a vampire's child?" Carlisle supplied for me; his golden eyes reflecting his concern as he went on "It's happened before. Though not often enough to make me familiar with how to accommodate it."

Shaking my head, I moved to sit on the couch beside Bella; crossing my legs underneath me as I asked "So…what do we do?"

"We get rid of it" Alice answered; her normally friendly tone twisted into something resembling revulsion as she looked from my face to Bella's. I could see how my sister visibly flinched back from her as she spoke; and I subconsciously reached my hand out to latch onto hers as I heard Rosalie approaching from the other room.

"Absolutely not" She argued; her hand flicking to Bella's shoulder as she went on "It's a _baby_ Alice. Not some animal."

"We don't know what it's capable of" Jasper interjected; his eyes meeting mine and causing a jolt of apprehension to flow through me at the intensity of their gaze "It's not exactly what you can call predictable."

"It's Bella's choice" Esme countered from her place beside Carlisle "She needs time to come to a decision, without pressure from any of us."

"I've made my decision."

Flicking my eyes to meet my sister's, I bit my lower lip; my hand tightening on hers just a bit as I whispered "Bella…"

"No, El" She said; cutting off my attempt at getting her to see the other side of this…the side that my gut told me could not in a million years end well "I _want _this."

Slumping on the couch, I relinquished my sister's hand; squeezing my eyes shut against the paralyzing fear that was once again gripping me in a vice as I attempted to tame my breathing. For a second time, I was forced to acknowledge that this anxiety stemmed from more than just the knowledge of my sister's pregnancy...it came from more than just the thousand different ways I could see this tearing her apart. But still not knowing the other cause, I was forced to try once again to shove it to the side; only to end up failing miserably. I must have shown something of my dilemma in my actions at that moment…because no sooner had I leaned back against the arm rest of the couch, then I was flinching as Carlisle's cool hand came to rest on my shoulder.

"Elena? What is it?"

Blinking up at him and trying my best to relax; I shook my head rapidly, clearing my throat once before replying:

"Nothing. It's…it's nothing."

"You're shaking, sis."

"Bella, I'm fine!" I protested; flicking my eyes to hers as I tried to force a smile, only to find my breath catching in my throat as a loud crack of thunder broke the silence in the room. Shaking myself back to the present, and doing my best not to recoil when Carlisle's cool fingertips met my pulse point; I lowered my eyes, praying in vain that he wouldn't feel how rapidly my heart was pounding as I spoke again.

"You're the one we need to be worrying about; Bells."

"Elena, your pulse is racing" Carlisle admonished; the back of his hand coming up to rest against my forehead as he went on "I'll go get my bag."

"No!" I said; regret immediately filling me as I took note of how Bella had jumped at my sudden rebuttal "Carlisle…I…I'm fine. I just…"

I trailed off then; eyes roaming over those who had gathered in the room around my sister and I as my heart gave a funny little lurch…my hand flicking up to cover my chest as I finally realized that the one person who should have been here with us was missing.

"Where's Edward?"

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look as a result of my sudden question; and I found myself fighting against all out panic as I looked from my second mother, to the doctor as he lowered his hand to place it in my own while he replied.

"He went to have a little talk with…"

"_No_" I breathed; the reason for my ramping nerves becoming all too clear as I stood suddenly from the couch, dropping Carlisle's hand as I tried to come to terms with it all. Edward was gone. His wife had just revealed to the rest of the family that she was pregnant. By rights, that was something he should have been a part of. Unless something bigger had drawn him away. Something he felt was more important. Something that, given what he had just experienced; would have made him extremely…unhappy.

He must have read Garrett's mind the minute he returned home. He knew what I knew, now. And the 'talk' Carlisle had mentioned…

I now had every reason to believe that it was way more than just a 'talk.'

Brushing past the doctor as I forced myself into action; I bit back a strange feeling of satisfaction at finally knowing what was causing me to feel as though I was on the verge of a break down. It didn't make any sense, of course…logic screamed that I should have no way of knowing that a man I had only barely met was in danger. But the reality was, I did know. I was painfully aware, through my hammering heart and ragged intake of air; that he was. And despite how I tried to fight it, I knew…

I had to get to him.

Whirling around as I reached the door leading out into the Cullens' back yard; I found myself almost tempted to laugh at the way everyone had frozen and was eyeing me as though I had lost my mind…but I forced that thought aside as I locked my eyes with Carlisle's, my voice soft as I asked:

"Where are they?"

The doctor's hand went out to his side before he could respond; latching onto his wife as she made to walk towards me…likely to stop me from what I was so intent upon…his eyes finally returning to my face as he replied.

"By the river."

Turning on my heel after sparing him a fleeting smile of gratitude; I darted out into the rain, still partially unsure of what I was doing. A part of me knew that this was irrational. That if Edward really were harming Garrett; I stood next to no chance of getting him to stop. I was human. He was not…and to step in would probably only succeed in getting myself hurt. Still though, a larger part of me…that part that had drawn me to Carlisle's friend in the first place…refused to let this go without at least trying to help. And so it was that I continued running, slapping damp hair away from my eyes as I made for the border of the forest at the back of the Cullens' land.

Something kept nagging at me as I ran; wind whipping the rain in my face until I finally made it underneath the shelter of the trees, and I let out a tiny laugh as I continued forward, fully aware that I was one person. One person trying to find two men in a vast expanse of forest that I was not all that familiar with. My mind went back then, to a similar time when my sister had ventured into the forest by our own home; getting lost in the dark in her efforts to find Edward after he had left…but any further laughter was cut off as my breathing became deeper…more labored…my human limitations making themselves known as I continued running.

Pushing past the creeping cold I felt taking over my skin as I wound deeper into the forest; I slowed down slightly, regret over not having the forethought to grab my rain jacket stealing over me before I skidded to a halt as a loud crack reached my ears. Pausing to listen, I flinched as yet another cracking sound echoed towards me; picking up the pace of my steps towards the new direction provided by the sound as absolute certainty flooded my mind.

That was _not _thunder.

Ignoring how my muscles were beginning to burn as I pushed myself into running again; I followed the direction I had determined the sounds came from, wary of my certainty that this was the right course. It wasn't like me to just dive into something blindly…but a gut feeling insisted that my movements were anything _but _blind in this moment. It was as though some invisible force was guiding me towards a destination that I couldn't yet see…and I soon found myself being pelted by still more rain as I cleared the forest as it emptied out by the river; relief at finding my destination flooding me, only to be replaced by a jolt of fear as I took in the sight in front of my eyes.

Edward had Garrett pinned between his body and the massive trunk of a tree; my angle to the side of them giving me a clear view of how his jaw clenched as he pushed his arm still further into his victim's throat. For his part, it didn't really look like Garrett was doing much in the way of defending himself…and before I could rationalize my actions, I darted over to them, ducking underneath Edward's arm and planting myself between his body and Garrett's as I spoke.

"Edward, stop!"

His eyes didn't leave Garrett's for even a fraction of a second; and I found myself biting back fear as I raised my hand to latch firmly onto Edward's arm…or at least, as firmly as I could with being a human…being weak…and I did my best to tug at the unmoving appendage, raising my voice once again so as to be heard over the next thunder clap.

"Edward, seriously; this is crazy. Let him go!"

His eyes moved down to mine then; confusion evident in his expression as he loosened his hold on Garrett by a fraction of an inch.

"Elena…"

"Yes, it's me" I confirmed; panic making my voice crack as I tried to shove him back "Let him go!"

"Elena, step aside…"

"No. No, I'm not going anywhere…"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't hurt _him_" I argued; blinking against my shock at having so readily defended the man who had seemed bound and determined to shake my world apart at the seams. I was amazed at how certain I was that, should any harm come to Garrett; I would not be able to cope…that it would be the end of me. It didn't seem natural, to have such a strong feeling regarding the situation; in spite of how I knew that I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt on my account. But I forced myself to push that amazement aside, anyway; maintaining my hold on Edward's arm, until I finally succeeded in getting it to move. I heard a whoosh of air coming from behind me, likely the result of Garrett finally regaining the ability to move of his own free will; and I shifted slightly on my feet then, still looking up at Edward as he spoke.

"Elena…you don't know what you're getting yourself into" He said; flicking a dark glare towards the man behind me as he took a reluctant step backwards. Concern was evident in the way he held himself then; and I forced myself to sound a lot more confident than I felt as I said:

"You're right, I don't. But I don't think…_this_…is the right way to go about figuring out what to do from here."

He shook his head for a fraction of a second; leveling another dark look at Garrett, who was, wisely, remaining silent. Hesitation stole over him as he looked from the tall vampire he was just recently threatening, to me…but he soon recovered; reaching up a hand to brush it against my cheekbone as he addressed me.

"So much like your sister…stubborn" He whispered; laughing softly to himself before turning serious once again as he looked to Garrett "If you hurt her…"

"I won't" Garrett spoke up then; hand coming to rest against my hip as he pulled me back towards him, a low gasp escaping me as my back bumped against his chest "I can promise you that."

Edward spared me one last look, before he turned back towards the woods; muttering something about getting back to Bella as he disappeared into the trees. I stared after him for a few minutes, still painstakingly aware of how Garrett was holding onto me; before I snapped out of my daze, turning to face the man I had just defended as he said:

"Thank you."

Managing a smile, I brought up a hand to my hair; a look of shock passing across my face as I felt the damp tendrils against my hand. Laughing, I dropped my hand to my side; trying and failing to ignore the flutter my heart did as Garrett smiled at my utterly drenched appearance.

"We should probably get you inside" He said; gesturing for me to follow him back into the woods and towards shelter. Before moving to follow him though, I held up my hand; wetting my lower lip with my tongue as I spoke.

"Wait…I need to…I need to apologize for how I reacted…before."

"Elena, you don't have to apologize for anything" He began; a sad smile turning his mouth upward as I persisted.

"Yes, yes I do! What I said…it was…it was awful."

Garrett tilted his head to the side then, genuine curiosity taking over his features as he waited for me to continue. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes momentarily; steeling my nerves, and jumping as I felt his hand latch onto my own while I elaborated:

"I don't…I don't adapt well to _change_" I began; looking down at where our fingers were intertwining, almost of their own accord, and forcing myself to get past the lump forming in my throat as I went on "When something is…is _new_, I tend to bolt the first chance I get. It was that way with Edward and the Cullens…with Jake when we found out…when we found out what he was capable of. But I…I'm not…I'm not bolting now. I'm here. Scared as hell, of course. But…I'm here."

"Elena…"

"I'm _here_" I cut in, more emphatically this time as I brought my eyes to meet his in spite of how the rain was falling harder; causing me to almost have to squint up at him as I pushed forward "I'm not running anymore. So all I'm asking…all I'm asking, is that you give me a chance to sort all this out."

A silent moment passed between us then; and I found myself letting out a shaky breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding as I saw how Garrett's eyes had softened while I spoke. He gave my hand a subtle squeeze as we stood there, soaked to the bone with rain…and before I could anticipate it; he was tugging me to him, holding me tightly as my arms wound, of their own accord, around his waist. Where before I had tensed when he pulled me to him; this time I found my muscles relaxing quickly, a strange sense of completion stealing over me as I reluctantly brought a hand up to place on his chest.

"I thought we were…going inside…" I stammered; tongue tangling in spite of myself as my brain tried to sort through why I almost didn't care that my clothes were dripping around me, clinging to my body as we stood in the middle of a downpour. I somehow managed to pull myself back from him slightly, though…a faint smile crossing my face as I saw how he was grinning back at me. It only took a second for him to re-acclimate himself to the world, while I still floundered for a purchase on reality…and I soon found his arm looping itself around my waist again as he guided me towards the trees; grin still present as he said:

"Probably a good idea. I don't really relish the thought of giving Edward one more reason to kill me."

…

**Hulloo! It appears that time got away from me once again, with this update. But this time I find the excuse to be a bit more legitimate. Over the weekend of the fourth, my parents and I went to see Star Trek Into Darkness. And I can honestly say that the lack of updates on the El/Garrett front is all Benedict Cumberbatch's fault. Seriously. I saw that movie, and WHAMMO! I find myself caught in a plot bunny for that world that just won't let go.**

**But here we are! El and Garrett are reunited, so to speak. I thought I'd give the whole idea of being able to sense when your mate is in danger a go from her perspective this time…so hopefully it turned out properly! Secondly, I wonder what you all think of her proclamation, as it were, to Garrett. The idea kind of latched onto me, and I went with it…so I do hope that you don't think it's too rushed. She isn't head over heels for him, yet. But I wanted to convey that her talk with Emily last chapter sort of nudged her to the conclusion you see above. If it's awful though, I can take it down and give it another go. Just let me know!**

**As always, let me know what you think of this chapter in a PM…a review…whatever! I am anxiously awaiting your thoughts! And many thanks to those of you who have stuck with me so far into this…I really do appreciate your patience. You have no idea!**

**Until next time…**

**MJR**


	12. Forced to Cope

"We're having the party, Elena" Alice was saying; her no-nonsense expression making me flinch internally as she went on "You only graduate once, you know."

"Right" I began; holding up my hand to stall her attempt at cutting off my likely protest as I pushed forward "But don't you think that with Bella's…situation…this isn't exactly the proper time for a party?"

"She isn't even showing yet; El" Alice argued; shaking her head in exasperation before turning to Jasper and throwing him a look that practically begged for his assistance "And since we don't know exactly _when_ she'll start; now is actually the perfect time."

Biting my lower lip, I rocked back and forth on my feet; jumping as I heard Garrett speak up from beside me…where had he come from?

"The perfect time for what?" He asked; grinning down at me and causing my heart to jump a bit as I forced myself to look away from him, and down at the tile of the flooring in Esme's kitchen.

"Her graduation party" Alice supplied; smirking in satisfaction at me while Garrett's arm twined around my waist. That seemed to be happening quite a bit lately…but I really never found myself complaining when it did; instead choosing to lean into him like I was now, and savoring the deep timbre of his voice as he spoke.

"It might be interesting to see what one of those is like…"

"Hey!" I exclaimed then; twisting slightly to look up at him as I narrowed my eyes "I thought you were supposed to take _my_ side, here!"

The all-too-innocent look he was giving me was doing its best to render me helpless; but I once again forced myself to look away, corralling my last line of defense that I had as I switched directions.

"Okay, fine" I began; crossing my arms over my chest and leveling a faint look of satisfaction Alice's way as I went on "Bella isn't showing. Garrett wants to see what on earth this type of thing is. That's great. But what do we do about my dad? He's not supposed to know Bella is back; remember?"

"That's easy. He was planning on going fishing this weekend anyway."

"_What_?"

Tapping her finger to her temple, Alice let out a tinkling laugh; smiling at my look of open-mouthed amazement as she said:

"Nice try at getting out of it, El."

Sighing in exasperation, I watched as Alice tugged Jasper out of the room; no doubt to begin plotting the party she was dreaming of…trying and failing to resist the urge to smile myself as I felt Garrett shift me around so that I was facing him.

"If you really don't want the party; I'd be happy to stage a kidnapping."

Letting out a faint snort of laughter, I smiled up at him; absently resting my hand against his bicep as I shook my head.

"I wouldn't want to subject you to the entirety of the Forks police department coming after you."

"Pretty sure I could outrun them; El" He said; tucking a stray curl behind my ear, and allowing his palm to linger against my cheek for a moment before dropping the hand back to his side "Any particular reason why the idea of this…party…is so objectionable?"

Pursing my lips, I looked down at his chest for a moment; pondering what my answer should be, as I did my best to not get too distracted with how well his shirt formed to his body…

"I…I guess I just don't relish the idea of all eyes being on me" I said; shrugging nonchalantly as I elaborated "I'm perfectly happy to just…blend into the crowd."

"I don't think that's possible for you…"

"Okay, Mr. Flatterer" I chided; smiling as I stepped away from him and moved over to the kitchen sink to refill the glass of water I had been drinking from before "But the fact of the matter is, I'm not really one to stand on a stage and call attention to myself. Never have been."

"So if I decided to parade you around town in the daylight…"

"I would be forced to do everything in my power to prevent you from following through with your plan" I finished with a laugh; sipping from the now full glass in my hand before I amended "Though, admittedly; I probably wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight against you."

"Might be fun to see what you're capable of, though" Garrett countered; the corner of his mouth twitching and belying his amusement at what could have only been an utterly shocked expression on my face. Arching an eyebrow, I tilted my head to look up at him as he began walking towards me; leaning back against the counter behind me as I said:

"Is that a challenge?"

"Might be…"

Pausing a moment, I found myself briefly contemplating how strange it was that I was so easily engaging in playful banter with a man I had only just met; when before I would have been stunned into silence by his…what would you call it? _Flirting_? I couldn't explain it…how easy it was to interact with him. But something in me knew that I was completely safe here. Safer, probably, than I was before I met him. And it was that thought that propelled me into action, permitting me to launch forward in an attempt at living up to his challenge as I made the all-too feeble attempt at dodging around him. Of course I failed…I would have been crazy to not see that one coming…but the laugh he gave off as he snapped an arm out to latch around my waist and pull me so that my back was flush with his chest momentarily robbed me of my senses; and I found myself letting out a breathy laugh of my own as Emmett strode into the kitchen, his eyebrows arching as he took in the sight before him.

"Might need to put her on a leash, Garrett" He joked; ignoring my irritated huff as I squirmed in an attempt to get free "She's a runner."

"Emmett, I swear to God…" I trailed off; leveling my best mock-glare his way as I continued to struggle in vain, despite how I really didn't mind being held the way I was. Of course I knew that I couldn't do anything to _him_, any more than I could to Garrett…but that didn't mean I had to take his innuendo lying down; did it?

"I wouldn't press your luck; Emmett" Garrett chimed in; loosening his hold on me by a fraction of an inch as he elaborated "I could just let her go…"

Snorting, Emmett rolled his eyes; giving me a look that stated he would almost relish seeing me attempt to overwhelm him as he said:

"Please. Like that's going to scare me."

Before I could issue any form of retort, however; I found myself distracted as Edward appeared in the doorway, his eyes still holding the almost hopeless desperation that had been present when he and Bella had first arrived home as he addressed me.

"Elena? A word?"

Casting a glance back at Garrett, I registered his hesitant expression; doing my best at giving him an encouraging nod as I pushed gently against the arm that was still curled around my waist. He let me go, albeit reluctantly…and I brushed past Emmett as he watched, confused; following Edward as he turned silently and headed into the deserted living area. I hesitated a little upon seeing how his shoulders had tensed minutely; taking note of how his right hand had clenched shortly thereafter as he spoke without turning.

"Elena, I need you to do something for me" He said; his voice soft…broken…as he went on "A…favor of sorts."

"What do you need?" I asked; watching my brother in law straighten as he turned to face me, his anguish written so clearly on his face.

"I need you to talk to her" He said then; stepping towards me and placing his hand on my shoulder "I need you to convince her to let us…"

"To let you get whatever it is out of her" I finished; flicking my eyes down to his hand absently, before returning my focus to his haunted expression "And what makes you think I can do this?"

"She's your _sister_! She'll listen to you."

"I'm not so sure…"

"Elena, please" Edward interrupted; his hand tightening slightly on my shoulder enough to cause me alarm, but not enough to be overtly painful "I can't lose her."

"And you think I can?" I inquired; doing my best to keep my tone as free of blame as possible. After all, he could not have known that a human would be capable of becoming pregnant with a vampire's child…but still, I found it difficult to keep the incredulity out of my voice as he continued to stand there, watching me; as though he was the only one who stood to suffer here.

"Edward, she's attached to this…_idea_…of having this child. She's never been this committed to anything before, to my recollection. So I really don't think that I could…"

"All I'm asking is that you _try_, Elena" He cut in; leaving no room for my argument as he finished "I have to know that we've exhausted all options of getting her to see reason."

Turning from him, I pulled away; ignoring how pained he looked as his hand dropped to his side while I placed my own on my hips in an effort to steady myself. I didn't want to be angry with him…I didn't want to blame him for what had happened. And I certainly didn't want to take out the frustration I felt over not knowing what was going to happen in the coming weeks on him; when he was obviously just as worried…as torn apart…as I was. But I couldn't help the faint hint of irritation that rose to the surface as I finally answered:

"And if I fail? What then?"

"Then we think of another option."

Resisting the urge to demand to know just _what_ that option would be; I merely nodded, turning to make my way back out to the kitchen. Before I could reach the threshold though; I found myself coming to a sudden stop, apprehension and pity mingling in the pit of my stomach as Edward said:

"_I'm sorry…_"

…

An hour or two later found me doing my best to keep frustrated tears at bay; the discussion I had attempted with my sister having fallen on deaf ears, as I suspected it would have. I really had no reason to believe that my thoughts on the matter would have changed her mind in the slightest…but still, it hurt me to think that all our years of relying on each other had no impact on her decision at all. A part of me had wanted to show her the pictures I had found in my own morose perusal of what legend had to say regarding human females and their vampire lovers…but something had held me back; choosing, instead, to prompt me to venture towards the river at the back of the Cullen property alone. A bit of aimless wandering had exhausted me faster than it probably should have; and it was for that very reason that I had plopped on the ground, close enough to the water to permit my feet to get wet as I allowed myself to become lost in thought.

Every source I had found regarding the delivery of vampire children spelled ill for their mothers. Not a single tale ending with the human female surviving…images depicting exactly how much pain said females stood to go through when the child finally entered the world. I had tried to allude to this, in my talk with Bella…tried to get her to see that the way she had chosen was something she was not possibly capable of. But nothing worked. Nothing would sway her from the sudden desire to have a child; in spite of how she had never even remotely desired such a thing in the past.

I could not reach her. And that troubled me more than I wanted to admit.

Truth be told, I was worried for her…for Edward…for myself. The family I had grown so accustomed to was divided by my sister's condition. Torn between the instinctive joy at a new arrival, and the fear brought about by the unknown. I had no way of knowing what would happen if the worst case scenario were to occur. No way of knowing how I, myself, would react if she…

I couldn't even think the words. I had no idea how to contemplate a world where Bella no longer lived. And I knew that I would never be able to survive in a forever where she didn't exist.

But that was selfish of me, wasn't it? Feeling sorry for myself…thinking that I couldn't force myself to go on for the people who remained just because my sister was no longer with me. I couldn't bear the thought of what it would do to Charlie…to Seth…Jake…

_Garrett_…

Almost as if on cue from my thoughts, I felt the cool weight of a hand on my shoulder; forcing me out of my train of thought and back to the present as the sound of rocks shifting indicated that the man who had so recently come into my mind was taking a seat beside me.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked; the concern in his eyes forcing me to look away to avoid losing what little control I had over my emotions as I dragged a hand through my hair and replied:

"Not sure these are worth your trouble…"

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

Turning to face him, I managed a weak smile; looking down at his hand as it moved to cover my own on the ground as I explained:

"You probably already know how Edward wanted me to convince her not to have the baby…"

"I might have heard something of that conversation."

"Well it…it didn't work" I said; forcing my voice to remain level as I pressed on "And I…I'm stuck. Stuck between the urge I have to run from yet another unknown; and the fact that I _need_ to stay around. That I can't leave her; no matter how much it…" I trailed off; biting my lower lip as I looked away, my eyes burning as the tears I had been withholding threatened to break free.

"How much it hurts" Garrett supplied; threading his fingers through my own and squeezing my hand lightly "Elena listen, if…if this thing with us is going to be too much; I…I can go."

"No!" I exclaimed, before I could stop myself; inexplicable panic rising to the surface and masking the pain and uncertainty I felt regarding my sister as I took in Garrett's utterly shocked expression "No, I…whatever happens, I don't want…_that_."

I couldn't explain the vehemence behind my sudden response…the feeling that, if Garrett were to leave; then this whole thing would be a thousand times harder to endure…but despite my indecision, it seemed that _he_ understood. He knew what it would be like to manage his absence, because…because he would be going through the exact same thing if he left. The way in which I seemed to instinctively know this succeeded in bringing a faint smile to my lips then; and I found myself finally able to meet his gaze again, shrugging half-heartedly as I said:

"Nothing like a little drama to keep things interesting, right?"

"That does seem to be the way most mortals go about making things eventful" Garrett replied; dodging the light swat I sent towards his arm in retaliation for the comment, before rising to his feet and holding out his hand to help me up "Why don't we find something to do to take your mind off things, though?"

"I don't follow…"

"You know…dinner…a movie…the usual."

Blinking in surprise, I barely noted how his hand still remained entwined with my own as it fell to my side; furrowing my eyebrows a bit as I tried to corral my brain into some semblance of logical thought.

"Are you…are you asking me to…" I began; trailing off as I found myself pulled towards him such that our bodies were mere inches apart, my heart once again betraying my nerves and excitement as he finished my sentence for me.

"Asking you on a date? I believe that's the current custom…"

Unable to help it, I broke into silent laughter; my shoulders shaking in amusement as I ducked my head forward until it bumped against his chest. I could feel the tell-tale blush rising to my cheeks as his arms curved themselves around my waist; and I couldn't help but look up at him as I felt his own laughter through his chest, a strange sense of happiness stealing over me as he looked down at me and asked:

"Well? What's the verdict?"

Shaking my head at how the expression on his face was reminding me so very much of how Seth usually looked when he was trying to wheedle me into something; I stepped away from him, allowing our hands to still remain connected as I replied:

"I think you know the answer to that."

…

**So! Finally, another chapter! I am so terribly sorry for the delay…as some of you may already know; I saw Star Trek Into Darkness at the beginning of July, and I was lost. What can I say? Khan is…well…there are no words.**

**But here we are with the next update! I'll admit, I had planned on having some Bella/El interaction in here to start. But I was writing it out today, and found that I was in no mood to write for Bella at all! Not quite sure why, but…what can ya do right? I hope that's not too terrible for you, since technically the whole baby thing **_**is**_** all about Bella…**

**Lastly, as I'm sure you noticed, we have a bit of fluff on board! Perhaps that's why I wasn't feeling Bella's dialogue, eh? Hopefully I didn't go too over the top…but I wanted to show the tentative beginnings of a relationship with Garrett and El; and to get to the end of the chapter (and the mention of the 'date'!) So I hope you enjoyed that little set up…and rest assured, next chapter will include the grad party…the date…and finally some Bella (and of course the associated angst). **

**As always I welcome any and all thoughts in a review or PM! I want to thank each and every one of you for your patience with me here…and hopefully you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Until next time…**

**MJR**


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